Family of Iron
by Dannrose
Summary: Its five years after the fall of the Fortress and forces have begun to move once more. Drago has been rebuilding and has perfected a new technology that may give him an advantage. However ambitions are at work amongst his own troops and with those involved in the Fortress' fall coming together serious consequences are likely. Second part of the 'Family of Fire' trilogy.
1. Something Brewing

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the first chapter of the sequel to 'Family of Fire'. A shorter starting chapter with Hiccup and Snotlout but many more will soon make their appearance once again so don't worry. More hints as to what world the next story in the trilogy will crossover with are going to appear in this one so keep your eyes peeled and you might be able to guess. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I do not own any aspect of How to Train Your Dragon.**_

* * *

 **Something Brewing**

Ever changing yet always the same the sea moved gently in the relatively calm breeze. Slow waves moved continuously on their travels across the world, some would end up breaking upon the shores of far off lands but for the moment they were in no hurry as they lazily went on their way. Then a high pitched noise was heard and it steadily grew louder until a black streak zipped past almost touching the water, kicking up a trail of spray behind it and interrupting the waves' slow progress with a sudden burst of activity.

From Toothless' back Hiccup let out a happy yell, "YEAH!"

The Night Fury gave his own happy roar and swooped upwards climbing into the sky at a pace that boggled the mind. The climb turned effortlessly into a dive and the dragon plummeted down at a speed that would put a falling rock to shame, snapping his wings open at the last possible second and skimming the ocean once more.

After this stunt Toothless slowed to a more leisurely pace and Hiccup grinned in exhilaration as he spoke happily to his brother, "That was great Toothless!"

"HEY! HICCUP!"

A yell from behind them attracted their attention and they saw Snotlout approaching on his older brother Hookfang. The younger boy pouted, "Do you and Toothless have to shoot off like that every time. You know we can't keep up when you go at top speed."

Hiccup smiled and shrugged, "I'm sorry Snotlout but me and Toothless tend to get carried away when we go flying."

Hookfang gave a disgruntled grumble as Snotlout answered, "Yeah but we're supposed to be heading somewhere in particular and we don't know where to go. You're the only one that's been there, remember?"

"Point taken, we'll lay off on the high speed flying then. We're nearly there anyway."

Mollified, Hookfang rumbled in response and the two dragons bearing their respective brothers flew side by side towards a small island which was unremarkable save for the fact it was the furthest place this particular group could go. They soon landed roughly at the island's centre which held a rocky mound containing a cave and it was this they headed for. Hiccup spoke eagerly to Snotlout as they walked towards it, "Its amazing Snotlout and the stone formations in it are something else."

Snotlout followed his older cousin just as eagerly and they soon entered the cave where he discovered that it was as amazing as Hiccup said.

The interior was large and roughly square shaped with impressive stalactites hanging from the ceiling, stalagmites rose from the ground to meet them forming dividing lines that cut through the space. Right in the back several of these had met forming columns giving the appearance of pillars embedded into the walls and right in the centre of the back wall was an unusually flat section almost looking like a door.

Snotlout gazed about in wonder as he spoke to Hiccup, "It's incredible! And you only found it a couple of days ago?"

Hiccup nodded, "Yeah, when me and Toothless last headed out on our own. Mum said this island was the furthest we could go so I decided to see what was here and we found this place. I thought you'd like to see it."

Snotlout grinned as he gazed about some more, "Fishlegs would love this place." He smile then morphed into a look of confusion, "So why didn't you ask the others to come too?"

Hiccup sighed, "Well there was another reason to bringing you and Hookfang out here. It's a good place to speak about something away from the others."

Snotlout looked down as he responded uncertainly, "Oh…I see."

Hiccup sighed a second time, "Look Snotlout, there's something we need to discuss and it's probably better to do it sooner rather than later." He pulled off one of his gloves which he'd recently taken to wearing most of the time and showed the back of his hand to his cousin, "Is yours getting clearer?"

Snotlout gave his own sigh and slowly removed one of his own gloves he'd also only begun wearing recently, "Yeah…it is."

He held out his own hand to his cousin and Hiccup nodded as he saw it, "I guessed as much." He stared at his own hand in contemplation, "What do you think it means?"

Snotlout shrugged, "I don't know but I'm betting it has some connection to five years ago."

Hiccup remained quiet as he thought on his cousin's words.

Five years ago. The battle with Drago and his Twelve Titans where Snotlout both found and then lost his birth father and they met Alister and his Skrill friend Icebolt as well as the second Night Fury they'd ever come across. The time when they attacked Drago's mighty fortress in order to rescue Snotlout who was going to be turned into a Titan. Five years ago when Hiccup smashed an ancient and powerful artefact and potentially picked something else up into the bargain. Snotlout said he could sense it within him, the same way he sensed something similar in Drago and Hiccup found he could also sense the same thing in Snotlout. It was apparently beyond the senses of everyone else, both humans and dragons, so they'd kept it secret from the others over the years but recently it had got more difficult because they now had a symbol appearing on the back of their hands and it was getting clearer.

Snotlout's voice broke into Hiccup's thoughts, "He said that I was one of two people that could take on the powers of an Alpha and he was obviously the second person. Though at the time you didn't have that ability and it wasn't until after you'd smashed the artefact that I could sense whatever it is in you but I don't know when I picked it up."

"Maybe you were born with it." Hiccup suggested, "Your father did say that he had the Potential and could've been a Titan. Maybe it's travelled down through your bloodline."

"Maybe." Snotlout looked at the back at of his own hand, "Though right now we should be considering something else."

He looked up at Hiccup.

"Do we tell everyone else?"

* * *

 _ **PS-Five years on and it begins again though what is actually about to happen is still unknown. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	2. Five Years On

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the second chapter. This is largely just an overview of how some characters have changed since the end of the last story but the real plot will kick off soon. Thank you for your support so far and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Five Years On**

Over the years Dragon Island had gone from a barely built outpost to a fully-fledged base of operations. Drago's army had also swelled again though it still wasn't at the same number as it had been five years ago. He did however have a reasonable amount of enslaved dragons to replace all the ones he'd lost and he could thank Viggo Grimborn for much of this growth in assets.

The chief of the Dragon Hunters had proven to be a valuable ally gathering dragons and forces as well as finding pockets of Drago's escaped slaves and recapturing them. The man was a cunning commander often several steps ahead of his opponents and running several different plans at once. This meant he could easily outmanoeuvre his foes and execute his missions with a ruthless flawlessness that Drago admired.

Admired and treated with a considerable amount of wariness.

As well as being an excellent commander Viggo was also ambitious and Drago was not fooling himself that the man's sudden appearance after his forces and base had been decimated was lucky coincidence. Viggo no doubt waited for the right moment to offer his aid and Drago knew that the Dragon Hunter chief would not settle for remaining a follower, the only question was how the man would act. For the moment it served both their interests to remain allies but as their forces grew stronger the time for betrayal grew closer.

Drago smirked, the completion of Saphia's current project would certainly speed that time along but for the moment Viggo did not know what was being created deep within the mountain of Dragon Island. Once it was revealed the current balance of power in his army would start to shift and Viggo would begin to start on his real plans.

Whatever plans the hunter had Drago had every intention of coming out on top.

* * *

Far to the north upon the great white expanse that was the Ice Wastes a teenager wrapped in furs and wearing a hood stalked a polar bear.

At seventeen he was on the cusp of manhood but still very much a boy in some ways however hunting was an old, well used and honed skill of his. The same could be said of the polar bear he was stalking who was an older male who hadn't quite lost its edge yet and was a formidable hunter in its own right.

Bearing this in mind the teenager moved with caution taking great care not to alert the creature to his presence, bears could be fickle if they realised they were being hunted sometimes they moved away and other times they turned and fought. In this case the bear was likely going to fight, it had be a lean period for it and a human would make a very welcome meal.

Taking slow and careful steps the teen continued his hunt as the bear moved in the direction of the sea ice, probably to try and make a meal of a seal by its breathing hole. The bear suddenly stopped and sniffed the air and the teen froze hoping that it was something else that had attracted the creature's attention, he'd made sure to remain downwind to stop it picking up his scent but the bear might have heard him somehow instead. The bear turned and instantly spotted the teenager stalking it, as expected it saw the chance for an easy meal and began to lumber towards him. Hunter now about to become the prey and the teen readied the spear he'd been holding, running wasn't an option as the bear would catch up eventually so he had to kill it before it killed him.

The bear continued its charge and the teen remained amazingly calm at its approach, he waited for the right moment where he would end this hunt. The bear came closer…and closer…and just when he was about to claim victory over it a bolt of lightning lanced down and struck the creature from above killing it instantly.

The teen huffed in annoyance and threw his hood back as he called up to the sky.

"Dammit Icebolt! I was just about to finish it myself!"

A Skrill swooped down and landed in front of the teenager chortling. Alister ignored the dragon and knelt next to the felled bear to check it was actually dead. He pointedly didn't look at his dragon companion (who'd begun to apologise) trying very hard to act like he was still angry, Icebolt then nudged him in the back and nuzzled his face and he caved in, "Okay fine. Apology accepted."

Icebolt gave a little cheer and then started to gather the bear's carcass into his claws as the teen climbed onto his back, his rider and cargo secure the Skrill took off and slowly flew back towards the ice cave they were calling home. When they eventually arrived Icebolt dragged their prize inside and Alister followed.

The cave had clearly been lived in for a while as there was a great deal of paraphernalia around such as furs, spears, bows, the odd jars containing different things and two fur mounds clearly set aside for sleeping. It didn't go all that far back and consisted of a short tunnel that led to a circular area within. The centre of this space was graced with a fire pit used for warmth and cooking while everything else was scattered around nearby in loose organisation.

Alister glanced around their cave, "Looks like Shadow's not back yet."

Shadow was a Night Fury and the one who'd brought them up to the Ice Wastes five years ago. He'd spent the following years teaching Alister and Icebolt how to survive in the harsh environment around them and helping them hone their hunting skills. At first he went with them on every hunt but as they improved more and more he started to gradually let them handle things on their own. In recent times he hadn't gone with them on any hunts feeling that they could now handle themselves just fine and a couple of times Icebolt and Alister had also split up and done hunts of their own. This was meant to be one of those times but Icebolt had apparently decided it would be fun to nick Alister's kill from him at the last moment.

The Skrill had rumbled in agreement at the teen's words before setting light to the fire they'd fuelled up that morning. Alister set about prepping the bear carcass intending to use its hide to make more clothing, he'd been growing rapidly recently and he needed to replace his clothes so often it was getting ridiculous. He'd been trading any excess with the tribes that made their home this far north which had allowed him to pick up a few comforts that would be time consuming to get on his own which had allowed them to live fairly comfortably provided they hunted regularly.

Gathering what he needed he set about dealing with that day's spoils.

* * *

On an island in the Archipelago, far from Dragon Island, was a small settlement that had gradually become a village over the last five years. It was made up from a group of former Fortress slaves and was led by Stoick the Vast.

He'd helped everyone there survive after their initial escape and under his leadership they'd begun to build and thrive. The island they now called home was pretty abundant and they'd managed to farm the land and even domesticate a few animals as they built homes and stores. Everything was pretty simple and the main meeting building was nothing more than a large round one at the centre of the village but they had what they needed to live. They'd even created a makeshift dock and a couple of tiny fishing boats but the old ocean going ships they'd once known were not in existence.

Alvin had become Stoick's second in command and had proven to be a fine choice for the position. Mulch had also proven himself invaluable in starting up their simple farms, in the Fortress he'd been barely a shell of who he was before Bucket had died but now it was like he'd become human once more. Out of the other Berkians it appeared they'd died during their long years of slavery or had escaped elsewhere five years ago as none were among those Stoick had led here nor had any arrived since. Despite this those who were here had survived admirably and their tiny community was really taking shape.

Stoick was in his small hut doing some work on the simple table he was making for it when Eret walked in. Now twenty Eret had grown into a fine young man and often helped out with the work in the village as well as spending time with the few children that were around. While not exceptionally skilled at any one job he'd proven to be competent at most and his real talents lay in decision making and leading others, Stoick had already noted him as a potential future leader of their small community but he hadn't said anything to the young man about it yet. Stoick himself still had a good few years left in him and it wasn't like he'd been officially named chief, they weren't really a tribe and in the focus to survive issues of leadership had been ignored and everyone just seemed to accept Stoick being in charge. They'd only recently formed a village council but one of the things to be discussed was how they were going to govern themselves and they might not even want to have a chief.

Setting these thoughts aside Stoick looked up from his work at the young man who was effectively his second son, "What is it lad?"

"That's the fishing boats back in Uncle." Eret reported, "They seem to have a massive catch so I thought you'd like to come down and help them with it."

"That I do lad." Stoick stood up from where he'd been working, "I can come back to this later."

Eret looked the table over, "The table seems to be coming along well."

Stoick smiled, "Aye, just a little more work and it'll be ready for use." He clapped Eret on shoulder, "Now let's see to that catch."

* * *

Beyond the sight and senses of everyone darkness stirred.

Its plans had been delayed five years ago but now it sensed a change, a change it could exploit. However it would take patience and just a small bit of manipulation but it had waited for a long time already, it could afford to be patient. Ambitions were moving, lives were about to cross over once more and in the events to come it would make its move.

The world wouldn't know what hit it.

* * *

 _ **PS-Ooh, ominous. A run through of some of the changes over the years and a slight indication of what's to come (though I'm not saying how soon). Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	3. Starting

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the third chapter. This one marks the first proper appearance of Viggo Grimborn who I must say I find the most fascinating and possibly most developed of HTTYD villains. It also features more build-up of other factors and plans being put in motion. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Starting**

Within the ice walls of the Sanctuary, inside a small, private cave. Astrid was training yet again.

Over the five years since the fall of the Fortress the girl had been working on her fighting abilities, she'd kept the axe she'd retrieved from the Fortress and practiced with it every day. Many of the Sanctuary dragons weren't sure why she did so, as far as they were concerned Drago's army was vanquished so there was no need to practice warfare when they lived in the peaceful walls of their home. Astrid however wasn't convinced that Drago was fully dealt with and even if he was there would be other threats in the world that could come knocking at any time so she'd decided to make sure she was prepared. Of course with the Sanctuary being a peaceful place few that lived there knew the art of war and those who did were dragons and did not know how to effectively use human weapons, Valka had taught her what little warfare she knew but she hadn't been a warrior before being brought to the Sanctuary so her combat knowledge was rudimentary at best. The only other person who could teach her was the Bewilderbeast himself but he could only tell her the theory and was incapable of demonstrating or doing any practical teaching. Despite these difficulties Astrid still trained deciding that some skill was better than none and over time her daily training session became something she enjoyed.

Running through now familiar motions her thoughts wondered onto Hiccup and Snotlout. Both boys had been somewhat distracted recently and she couldn't understand why, their actions suggested they were hiding something but she didn't know what. She wasn't the only one who'd noticed, both of Snotlout's parents were fully aware something was going on as was Valka and Cloudjumper and of course the Bewilderbeast himself knew it as well. The chances were that Grandfather (what they called the Bewilderbeast) had a far better idea than anyone else about what was happening with the two boys but for the moment people seemed to be holding off on forcing them to reveal their secret.

A large explosion rocked the floor causing Astrid to stumble and distracted her from her thoughts, she sighed in frustration even as she heard someone scurrying into the training cave. She turned to see Fishlegs standing in the entrance with a look of long-suffering. He gave a sigh of his own, "Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Barf and Belch have blown up a section of the Sanctuary again."

Astrid rolled her eyes, "Seriously. What is with those guys and explosions?"

Fishlegs shrugged, "I have no idea. Should we see if we need to help with the clear up?"

Giving a second sigh Astrid put her axe aside, "I suppose we better."

Reluctantly the two friends strode out of the cave to see how much damage the twins and their Zippleback brother had caused this time.

* * *

Elsewhere, within the volcano that once made up the island home of the Lava-lout tribe, a Night Fury walked down a tunnel into its depths. This was Shadow and he was here to meet a very old friend and mentor.

Coming out of the tunnel he found himself on a great ledge overlooking the immense pool of lava that filled the volcano's centre. He went straight to its overhanging edge and called down to the lava below. In response there was a low rumbling that seemed to shake the mountain and a mighty dragon emerged from the magma that poured off its immense bulk. This was the species the humans called the Red Death a member of which was the dragon queen of Dragon Island who Drago slayed five years previously. Unlike that Red Death, who enslaved dragons and made them gather vast amounts of food to feed her ravenous appetite, this one was not corrupt and was very wise. Like the Bewilderbeast she'd lived for many, many years and had all the experience that came with such a lifespan, she did not have nest and lived a solitary life by choice. In a way she was something of a great dragon monk, living a life of solitude and contemplation away from others. That being said she did not just let the world get on with it and her contemplations were geared towards foreseeing great threats before they arose and then trying to take steps to deal with them. Sadly she could not foresee everything and Drago had been one such threat that had passed her by but now she'd picked up something that worried her greatly and she'd called Shadow to her to begin countering this new threat.

The call had come five years ago when she'd first felt dark stirrings, the fight in the Fortress had been in full swing when she'd noticed this new evil and it had been exactly when Snotlout's Joining had started when she'd first sensed it. This was a coincidence that could not be ignored and Shadow agreed that there was something worse than Drago that was making inroads into the world. By the time Shadow could respond to her call the battle was over and this new evil had melted back into the edges but both agreed that it would return.

Thus they'd taken steps to put in place some form of counter for it and Shadow had spent the last five years dealing with one of those steps. Now he looked up at his long time mentor and said that he felt the time had come to move on with their part of events. She thoughtfully regarded her pupil for a moment and then agreed with his words, it was time to begin with the next stage of their role.

She knew that they were playing just a small part in what was unfolding and there were a great many aspects of what was to come that she couldn't see, there were so many roles and even her insight couldn't tell her who would fill them. She had her theories but there was nothing that could confirm them except time and that was a force that could achieve a great many things. For now they decided to focus on what they were fairly confident about and she nodded to her now wise pupil.

Time to continue their role.

* * *

Upon the sea a great ship loaded down with captured dragons a fairly unremarkable man leaned over a Maces and Talons board. This was Viggo Grimborn and he owed much of his success to the lessons the game before him had taught him.

Maces and Talons had long been used to test Viking chiefs on their battle strategy, in a similar way that chess was used by other nobles far from the Archipelago. It was an ancient game with rules that had been used since it was first created and was considered as much a part of Viking history as the gods themselves. Its origins were shrouded in mystery but it was no secret that a master of Maces and Talons was a leader to be reckoned with.

It was his skill at the game that had allowed Viggo to be made chief instead of his older brother Ryker since he was the only person that had ever beaten his father at the ancient game. Unlike many Viking chiefs he was not particularly strong or bulky but he could plan a military encounter down to the last detail and that skill was not limited to warfare. His reputation as a man that knew everything happening among his men kept most of them in line, they knew that even a whisper of mutiny would be dealt with even before the mutineers themselves knew they'd been caught and any plans they made would be countered almost effortlessly by a scheme of Viggo's.

At this precise moment Viggo was contemplating a game he'd been playing for five years. It may appear that he had an obsession with Maces and Talons but he found that breaking everything down into its format allowed him a foresight few other leaders possessed and it had served him well so far. He would admit that he found great joy in pitching his wits against another opponent who could plot in a similar way to him and he did enjoy drawing such encounters out but it only made his victory over them that much more impressive. Defeating a smart opponent with a gambit no-one saw coming until it did was a rush he received far too little and it was such victories that fanned the respect of his men.

His current game was the one he'd been playing against Drago ever since he'd first offered his allegiance. Viggo had known from the start that Drago did not trust him in the slightest and he could see that the man was far from the attack everything head on type he appeared to be. Drago had a brain and it was one the man used exceptionally well. This made things start challenging and there had been times when the two leaders had pushed the boundaries they currently had in place to see how the other would react. It was a careful game where you played without revealing too much while trying to uncover what the other has, decide what to reveal or conceal and not rock the boat before the right moment.

As he studied the board before him Viggo heard Ryker stand beside him and he knew what his brother was going to say before he did, "When are you going to deal with that Drago. We've been sucking up to him for the last five years, when does it stop?"

Viggo smiled, "Patience brother. Drago is no fool and acting at the wrong moment will ruin everything we're working towards." He moved a piece on the board, "If we get it wrong we'll push it into a fight between us and him and that is a battle we cannot win. In terms of sheer power he and his Titans far outclass us, we need to make it so he loses without realising it."

"But when will that be."

Moving another piece Viggo leaned back in his seat, "Possibly sooner than you think brother. Drago is about to unveil something he's been secretly working on ever since his fortress fell, the rules of the game are about to change and I intend to make them fully in my favour."

Picking up the piece that represented the king Viggo smiled at it, "This game is about to get really interesting."

* * *

 _ **PS-So did I get Viggo right? He's a very interesting character to write but potentially very difficult as well. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	4. Journeys

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. We're back with Alister and Icebolt and Hiccup and Snotlout this time around. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Journeys**

It was several days after Icebolt had ruined Alister's hunt that Shadow finally reappeared.

The boy and the Skrill hadn't been too worried about their mentor, he'd often vanished for long periods of time and their 'pack' was made up of dragons who liked their solitude. The Night Fury had brought back a whole walrus for them and he rumbled approvingly when Alister showed him the new clothing he'd made from the polar bear hide. Alister couldn't understand dragon speech the way Hiccup and the others could but he'd been around Shadow and Icebolt to get the general gist of what they were telling him, a strange dragon might prove more difficult but he understood a lot more than he did five years ago. He could tell that Shadow had something important to tell them but for some reason the dragon was holding back, though he wanted to know what it was Alister didn't push for an explanation knowing that the Night Fury would reveal everything eventually.

They'd spent an enjoyable evening as Alister and Icebolt told Shadow about all the hunts they'd done while he'd been gone and the pride in his students was obvious in his answers. It wasn't until the next morning that Shadow made it clear there was somewhere he wanted to take them and that they wouldn't be returning to the cave for a long time. Though surprised Alister set about organising everything that had been scattered around their home of five years, sorting out what they could take, what could be left, traded, etc…took much of the morning and they didn't leave till near noon.

Alister was curious as to where Shadow wanted to take them.

* * *

Snotlout and Hiccup had spent a long time discussing who to tell about the mysterious marks on their hands and what they could possibly mean.

As far as they could tell both marks were identical and they were certain they were connected to the innate power they could sense in each other. What this power was exactly they couldn't say since neither one of them had experienced it doing something, it was just…there.

The discussion continued for a long time with Hookfang and Toothless giving their own suggestions and in the end they decided to speak to the Bewilderbeast. Set on their next action they climbed onto the backs of their siblings and flew towards home.

Now that they were fifteen they could travel much further and without being accompanied by an elder dragon and since the island they'd been on was on the furthest boundaries of their area of travel it was a while before they finally saw the Sanctuary's icy walls.

Flying inside the dragons weaved expertly down the many tunnels within heading towards the centre. The Bewilderbeast was present in his pool as he often was and was in the middle of lecturing Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Barf and Belch about causing explosions inside the Sanctuary. Evidence of their destructive tendencies could been seen in the large ice column lying across a good portion of the grass covered lower floor, it was being broken apart and carried away by several dragons including Astrid's sister Stormfly and Fishlegs' sister Meatlug. The two teens were clearing away the smaller ice chunks with Hiccup's mother Valka and the woman looked round and smiled as she spotted her son and nephew. She came over to them, "You two are back earlier than I expected."

Hiccup smiled as his mother gave him a quick embrace, "Yeah well we had something we wanted to speak to Grandfather about."

Valka looked round at the Bewilderbeast, "Well it appears that you got here just at the right moment. He's just finished speaking to those four about destroying parts of the Sanctuary."

"You'd thought they'd have learned last time…and the time before that…and the time before that."

Valka shook her head, "I don't think they're ever going to learn. They just don't think before acting and their poor mother gets more exasperated each time."

As she spoke said Zippleback mother was leading her sheepish children over to the fallen ice column and both heads were clearly not amused, the dragons who'd been helping shift the ice realised what was going on and headed off leaving the miscreants to deal with it under the watchful eye of their mother. Valka gestured the teens away, "Well they're going to be busy for quite a while. You should go and speak to Grandfather now while I start dinner. Its meatballs tonight."

Hiccup's eyes briefly widened and he gave an apologetic and slightly strained smile, "No its okay Mom. I was going to be eating at Snotlout's tonight."

His mother just shook her head, "Snotlout's parents are out on an overnight hunt tonight so he was going to be eating with us."

Snotlout had been quietly sniggering at his cousin's misfortune but a brief look of fear crossed his face which was quickly replaced by a strained smile of his own, "Oh…thanks auntie."

Valka smiled, "Anytime Snotlout. I'll get dinner started while you speak to Grandfather."

She walked away and the two cousins exchanged looks of dismay as Astrid walked past them grinning, "Have a nice dinner."

She headed off with Stormfly and Fishlegs also ambled away with Meatlug and Hiccup, Snotlout, Hookfang and Toothless headed to the Bewilderbeast's pool. The Sanctuary's ruler smiled as they approached but they hesitated, they'd wanted to speak to him privately about the marks on their hands but the centre of the Sanctuary was far from private. The Bewilderbeast sensed what they wanted and he gave a low rumble and turned to move into the huge opening where his pool stretched under the Sanctuary walls. They followed and soon were in a place that they'd rarely been in.

The Bewilderbeast's own private cave.

It wasn't used very often since the Sanctuary's ruler preferred to be out in the main section of their home among those he protected but he occasionally retreated here if he wanted to spend some time alone or to speak privately with one of the Sanctuary members. It was a large cave to accommodate its owner but it was nowhere near the size of the main chamber. Its walls were decorated with beautiful ice sculptures courtesy of its occupant and it was far cooler than the rest of the Sanctuary. The two boys had only been in there once, Snotlout had been gravely ill and had been moved there so the colder air could help cool his fever and Hiccup had looked after him while Valka had gone in search of the correct herbs to cure him. That had been the only time they'd ever entered this inner Sanctuary of sorts so they gazed about the place in wonder before remembering why they were there.

The Bewilderbeast looked down at them his expression encouraging and it was Hiccup who spoke, "Grandfather we've been keeping a secret that you should know about."

He hesitated and Snotlout took up the explanation, "When Hiccup smashed that weird artefact five years ago we think he might've gained something from it, something I already had."

The cousins looked at each other briefly before Hiccup continued, "It seems to be some sort of power that's being carried inside us and we don't know what it is. However it's possibly starting to do something because a symbol has started to appear on the back of our hands." They both pulled off their gloves and held them up to him, "This symbol."

The Bewilderbeast crouched down and looked at the outstretched hands and gave a surprised rumble. He fixed the two boys with an intense look and told them to tell him everything they knew.

So they did.

* * *

On a small, remote and unremarkable island a solitary figure ambled along its meagre beach.

He was hunched and leaner than he once had been many years ago, on his back was a hefty haversack that held all his supplies and a variety of peculiar looking tools hung from his belt or haversack strap. He walked with a slight limp on a leg made from old, greatly weathered wood and one of his hands was replaced by a metal hook which on closer inspection revealed that it could be swapped out for any of the other tools the man was carrying.

This was Gobber, former blacksmith of Berk and escaped slave of the Fortress.

He'd been traveling alone ever since Drago's base had fallen, only managing to escape by using a hastily repaired in the moment boat that had become his main method of transport over the years. It had eventually been christened Gertrude and was currently hidden further down the beach while he searched the island. The reason for his constant travelling was because he'd been searching for his long-time friend he'd not seen since Berk had been destroyed fifteen years ago. He had something important he needed to tell him and he would not rest until he found him. It had been a search he'd been doing for the last five years alone, well alone until a couple of weeks ago.

Gobber gave a sigh and looked back behind him, "Can't ye hurry it up a bit?"

A Hotburple who only had one wing because the other was lost to an ancient dragon trap ambled up to him and gave a yawn. Gobber sighed, "Ye half my speed y'know. I might just leave ye behind if ye don't walk faster."

The Hotburple gave a lazy rumble and continued ambling knowing full well that his human companion would never carry through with his threat and Gobber ambled alongside him, "I can't believe that after nearly five years on my own I get you as a travelling companion."

The Hotburple grunted in response.

"Ye always say that! Now let's get a move on and find somewhere decent to camp tonight Grump."

The two travellers wandered along the beach as they continued their search for Stoick the Vast.

* * *

 _ **PS-So the Bewilderbeast knows about the symbols and we have the debut of Gobber and Grump in this AU. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	5. Powers

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to chapter five. We finally see one of the Twelve Titans again and the rest of them will be appearing over the course of the story. We also meet a couple more dragons and some more aspects of dragon society become known. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Powers**

Anthea sat fidgeting impatiently in the prow of one of Drago's vessels.

Despite now being twenty-one and most definitely an adult she still had a short attention span which was a real handicap while on a voyage. Her eyes roamed over the blank horizon and she sighed, turning round she gave a bratty whine, "Savage, I'm bored!"

Savage had risen through the ranks after the fall of the Fortress and now he was one of Drago's top commanders and answered only to the Twelve Titans and Drago himself. This meant he was placed on many important missions alongside the Titans, though at times they seemed to be more akin to babysitting some of Drago's children than military operations.

Savage walked up and bowed to her speaking in a voice filled with long practiced patience, "If you wish for entertainment Milady then I can have some of your gladiators brought up from below to spar with you."

Anthea clapped her hands joyfully, "Thank you Savage."

As Savage gave the necessary commands to his men Anthea bounced up and down in excitement, her daggers already out and ready to be used. She addressed the officer, "How long until we reach our destination?"

"We should reach the island by about dusk Milady, as we planned. This sparring session should prove to be a suitable warm up for you."

Her smile grew, "Indeed it will Savage." She checked her weapons, "What's the island's name again?"

Savage gave a small smile of his own, "Fireworm Island Milady."

* * *

The Bewilderbeast had remained in his private cave long after the two cousins and their brothers had left it.

They'd related everything they knew or had guessed about the marks on their hands and had hoped he'd have answers for them. Unfortunately he did not and he'd been apologetic in telling them that he'd never seen that particular mark before. Their disappointment had been obvious along with their fear that something terrible was happening to them but he managed to allay their worries. Now that he knew they had some sort of power within them he found he could sense it if he focused enough and looked, in all honesty he'd been sensing something different about Hiccup for most of the previous five years but he just hadn't been able to pin down what had changed until now. Knowing what he was looking for allowed him to study the force inside them to a degree and as far as he could tell the power inside them, whatever it was, was not evil nor was it good, it just was. This reassured them slightly but the not knowing was still worrying them and he promised to do what he could to help them, in the meantime he'd told Hookfang and Toothless to remain close to them and said that they should not relate this to anyone else in the Sanctuary until they had more knowledge about the situation. All four had agreed and departed leaving him to ponder in private.

What he didn't tell them was that while he had truly never seen it before the symbol struck him with an odd sense of familiarity like he should know what it meant but he couldn't think why. As such he'd entered a time of meditation, an activity he rarely engaged in except when he came across something beyond the sum of his knowledge. Unlike some Alphas he was more practical and instead of focusing on pondering the vast mysteries of the universe he opted for focusing on living in it. Not that he had anything against those that preferred deep thoughts and contemplation but he personally preferred taking an active role in the life of the world. However he'd lived long enough to know that the world needed the deep thinkers and philosophers and that some things were better solved with careful meditation, especially if they had anything to do with ancient powers and forces that have been around longer than even the oldest of Alphas.

He was certain that this was one such power but he'd also learnt over the years that if an ancient power was appearing then something had to have triggered it. As such he'd entered deep meditation and had cast his mind out beyond the haven of his beloved Sanctuary searching for something that may have changed in the forces of the world. It took a long time and he only found what he was looking for because he already had a suspicion of what it might be but it was definitely there.

A darkness loitering in the shadows which he'd sensed five years ago during the fall of the Fortress and Snotlout's interrupted Joining.

Again it was lingering at the edges almost beyond the senses of those who could see it but its presence was a sign of it working towards its own goals. It was likely that the appearance of the symbols on Hiccup and Snotlout's hands were in response to this evil's work, a warning or maybe the start of a counter-plan. Alternatively it was the other way round and the evil was responding to the appearance of the symbols, after all as far as he could tell the power inside the boys which was likely responsible for the symbols was neutral and didn't align to good or evil. That would place the cousins in serious danger if this dark force wanted what was within them and even if it didn't it wouldn't leave a potential threat alone. Either way the Sanctuary would eventually be targeted though it would not likely be for a while.

The Bewilderbeast made his way to the entrance of his cave and gave a very specific call. It was mere moments until a Terrible Terror flew in and landed before the dragon king. This particular Terror was nearly as old as the Bewilderbeast himself and had been a faithful friend and advisor for many, many years. He was also more attuned to the movement of forces in the world than most and had likely also sensed this growing evil at the very edges.

He smiled briefly at his old friend who returned the gesture before turning serious. As expected he did already know about what was slowly gathering in strength and he had even seen a glimpse of what lay within the two boys. The two friends sat together and held a long discussion about everything the Bewilderbeast had been pondering and in the end they agreed that it was best to speak to another and see if their senses had discovered more. They both had the same person in mind and soon the Terror agreed to go and meet with them to discuss the matter. The Bewilderbeast did not wish to leave the Sanctuary if he could help it and the Terror was also a long-time friend of the person they wished to meet, he could leave it in the Terror's capable claws.

Within a short space of time the Terror was ready to leave and, after a brief farewell to his long-time friend and king, slipped away from the Sanctuary eager to reach his destination quickly. The Bewilderbeast wished him well on his journey and hoped that it would bear fruit though he felt pretty certain that it would.

* * *

Within the bright depths of Fireworm Island the Fireworm Queen gazed into the combs of liquid fire created by her many subjects.

Fireworms were all gifted with time sensitivity and through scrying with their own liquid fire they could see glimpses of events throughout time. In a way they were a clan of seers and among dragons their word was highly regarded. They did not actively engage with the rest of the world very often and secluded themselves upon their island, their role was to provide guidance to those that came seeking it and occasionally to those that didn't. Sometimes the guidance they could give was enigmatic and mysterious and other times it was clear and concise, it all depended on the clarity their scrying gave. Many dragons and a few humans had been steered to their destinies by the Fireworms in a variety of ways and a special minority had received aid from the best scryer among them, the Fireworm Queen herself.

At this particular moment the Fireworm Queen wasn't actually concerned with the destinies of others, rather she was concerned with the fate of herself and her subjects.

All the visions indicated that a time of darkness for all the Fireworms was coming and it was coming soon. Unfortunately they showed nothing else to indicate what form the dark time would take nor if there was anything beyond it. The queen had tried desperately to find answers to those questions but time stubbornly refused to tell them anything else.

As she tried to pierce the shadow surrounding their own fate one of her subjects flew up and reported that several human ships had been seen approaching the island. They couldn't say for certain but they were reasonably sure that the humans aboard meant harm and the traps they brought suggested that they wanted to capture them.

At his words the Fireworm Queen closed her eyes briefly before turning and giving the command to defend themselves. The nest around her burst into frantic activity as they prepared to fight and she took one last look into the liquid fire to see that time remained as uninformative as it had been.

It was likely they were about to discover their fate regardless.

* * *

 _ **PS-Enter the Fireworms and the Bewilderbeast is starting to take action. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	6. Fateful Decision

_**Author's Note;**_

 _ **Hello everyone and sorry for the long gap since the last update. This chapter has Alister and Icebolt once again as well as a few more hints about which fandom the series will eventually crossover with. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Fateful Decision**

The Terror flew silently through the night sky purposely heading towards his destination.

He'd been sensing shifts in the world's forces for a while now and he'd actually been about to speak with the Bewilderbeast about them when the Alpha had called him. The surprise had been about the power within Snotlout and Hiccup, he'd seen glimpses of it before his king had told him about it but he'd assumed it was just some lingering effect from five years ago and not some power in and of itself. The results of such a power showing itself were concerning and it was likely connected to the various shifts, in what way was unknown but it could not be ignored.

He flew low over the waves, painted an otherworldly hue by the odd time of day known as twilight. It was a long flight from the Sanctuary to his destination but although he was long in years his stamina was as robust as ever and it was hardly a difficult feat for him to manage. He had to admit he was looking forward to meeting his friend once more despite the concerning reasons for doing so as it had been so long since they last saw each other. It was a slight shame that the Alpha couldn't join them but the very fact he was an Alpha meant he had a responsibility to those in his care preventing him from taking the trip himself.

The Terror knew he was getting close to his destination but as he approached he sensed something wrong. Concerned he sped up and it wasn't long before he saw the island appear on the horizon and upon seeing it he flew faster.

Fireworm Island shouldn't be billowing smoke.

Swooping down to the entrance of the Fireworm's domain he saw clear signs of a battle with humans, burnt catapults, broken traps and weapons littered the ground and a deathly silence blanketed the area.

The battle was long over and the Terror was pretty sure who lost.

* * *

It had taken several days for Shadow to lead Alister and Icebolt to where he wanted to take them and both still didn't know what the Night Fury's intention was even when they reached Lava-Lout Island.

Alister had been here before when his father was leading the resistance against Drago. The Lava-Louts had made up most of the resistance and their island was their base when Savage betrayed them all, the fall of Lava-Lout Island was also the fall of Alvin's resistance and for that reason Alister wasn't really comfortable being there.

Instead of taking them down to where the village used to be Shadow lead them up the side of the volcano and to a fairly large cave entrance high up its face. Without a word Shadow walked straight in and after sharing confused looks Alister and Icebolt followed him inside.

The cave was actually a long passage and it wound deep into the mountain and it became warmer the further in they went. Alister found himself shedding outer layers as the heat became more and more intense, being a dragon Shadow was unbothered by the temperature but Alister hoped they'd reach wherever they were going before it got too hot for him. Eventually a deep red glow could be seen in front of them and as the Night Fury strode confidently on Alister and Icebolt hesitated before stepping out of the tunnel.

The cavern beyond took their breath away.

Monumental in scale the mountain's interior towered around them towards the volcano crater far above them, it dropped equally as far downward ending in a vast pool of churning magma that was the volcano's heart. Around the walls was the long shelf they stood upon creating a sort of platform above the lava below and Shadow walked to its very edge and called down. In mere moments the entire mountain seemed to answer with a low rumble and a mighty dragon rose from the fiery depths causing Alister to stumble back in shock. He'd seen the Bewilderbeast that Hiccup and the others called Grandfather who was bigger than this dragon but it was still quite the sight to Alister.

Three mighty pairs of eyes regarded him and then the fearsome head seemed to nod in approval before turning to Shadow. The two dragons conversed and Alister got the feeling that they'd known each other for a long time, Icebolt nudged him reassuringly and gave a low growl to affirm that the huge dragon before them seemed to indeed be a friend. Trusting the Skrill Alister focused on the two elders curious to discover why Shadow had brought him here.

As if in response to his desires the large dragon turned back to him and fixed him with another gaze, he shuffled awkwardly then remembered how the others had greeted the Bewilderbeast and he gave a respectful bow.

" _While I appreciate your good manners there is no need to bow._ "

Alsiter jumped violently and looked around in panic at the sudden female voice and the large dragon gave a rumbling chuckle, " _I apologise young one. I should have remembered that you have not met a dragon that can use the language of humans._ "

The teen looked up at the dragon to find it smiling and he realised that it…well…she had been the one that spoke. She lowered her head to his level, " _Most dragons cannot use the language you do even if they understand it because their vocals cannot create the necessary sounds, however I like all my species have telepathic abilities so I am using those to send these words directly to your mind allowing easier communication._ "

"You're inside my head?"

She gave another chuckle, " _Not quite, I'm merely sending things to your mind and I cannot look into it nor control it. If you were a dragon that would be a different story but human minds largely cannot be touched in any way by the minds of dragons, the only reason I can even 'speak' to you this way is because you've spent enough time with dragons that you've opened your mind to them to a degree. For most humans I wouldn't even be able to do this much._ "

"Why not?"

She explained, " _Humans are not as attuned to the forces of this world as dragons are, there are exceptions such as seers and other mystics but it takes years of training before they are able to look beyond the practical world and sense even a glimpse of forces beneath the notice of others. Dragons are more attuned to these forces and they all have a small amount of empathic ability, it doesn't normally go beyond slightly sensing the emotions of other dragons but some of us can reach full telepathy and some are born with the innate ability to sense shifts in the world's forces. This difference in abilities means that dragons often sense things before humans which can grant us greater insight into the workings of the world however it does make most dragons vulnerable to dangers such as being controlled by stronger minds like those of the Alphas. Humans are immune to such tricks and it takes a lot of power and a whole host of dark skills to control a human mind because they do not have such senses, this immunity is why I cannot communicate this way to most humans as their minds automatically block any foreign thoughts or suggestions sent through telepathy. As I've already said you are an exception because you've been friend and family to dragons long enough that your mind is more open to us and it is used to the minor telepathy all dragons share._ "

Alister looked down thoughtfully, "I wonder if any humans have been born with such skills."

The dragon shook her head, " _None have to my knowledge but there are little known legends that such humans once lived in this world and that they were blessed with magic but if they ever existed they have long since vanished into the tracks of time._ " She smiled, " _But I've not asked Shadow to bring you here to simply discuss the differences between humans and dragons._ "

Alister looked back at her once more, "Then why have you asked me to come?"

" _Because it is time for you to move onto the next stage of your training._ "

"What do you mean?"

" _Shadow did not request you train under him in the Ice Wastes simply to improve your hunting skills, though that did indeed come into it. He was also helping you strengthen and train your body and mind in the harsh environment as well as strengthen the bond between you and Icebolt._ " She looked up towards the distant crater rim, " _Drago was simply the beginning though he is rebuilding and has already begun to make his move._ "

Alister stepped back in shock, "WAIT! Drago survived!?"

She nodded sadly, " _Indeed, he was far more powerful than you believed and while it was a major blow to his army the fall of the Fortress did not defeat him entirely. Acquiring the powers of an Alpha has made him far beyond normal humans and there is something more that is lurking behind him._ "

"What?"

" _I cannot say but it is dark and likely very powerful and we'll need something great to counter it._ " She fixed the teen with an unwavering gaze, " _I have contemplated long over these happenings and I have gained far less knowledge than I would like but I know you'll play a role in the events that are coming, what role I cannot say but I know what I must teach you and I will do the duty that has been shown to me._ " She lowered her mighty head so that it was almost touching Alister's face, " _My role is clear but you must be certain you're ready for yours. Are you willing to take what I have to give and learn how to use it? Are you ready for whatever lies ahead and do you have the courage to face it? Those are the questions you must answer with both your mind and heart._ " She moved back and towered over him, " _So Alister, son of Alvin, Dragon Rider and Pupil of the Night Fury, Shadow. What is your answer?_ "

Alister looked down his mind reeling at the suddenness of everything he had learned and everything that he was sure he still needed to, Icebolt nudged him and the teen smiled at his loyal friend. He looked straight into the eyes of the mighty Red Death his mind decided and his eyes clear.

"Yes."

* * *

 _ **PS-Alister is now on a brand new journey and although I've been avoiding having the dragons use English the part the Red Death has to play needed her to be able to speak English but it will remain a rare skill for the dragons. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update sooner next time.**_


	7. New Creations

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This one starts with Eret and it also reveals exactly what Drago has been doing since the last story. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **New Creations**

"That's it lads, haul 'er in!"

The captain's voice boomed out over the small fishing boat and Eret joined the other men in hauling in their latest catch. It was a big one and the captain gave his men an impressed smile, "Good work men, that'll feed the village for a while." He clapped Eret on the shoulder, "Especially good work from ye young 'un, we'll make a fisherman out of ye yet."

Another of the men called out raucously, "Maybe we'll just let little Eret pull the next catch in himself."

"Don't say that!" Another one answered, "Ye'll inflate 'is ego if ye keep talking like that! Ye know what these young lads are like."

Eret grinned as he responded, "It'll be hard for my ego to get any bigger than yours old man."

The man in question pretended to be deeply offended as the rest laughed at Eret's comeback, none of the remarks were actually said with any real heat and Eret had learned to give as good as he got in this good natured ribbing. He fell in an odd category in the village in that he had no peers as such, most of the villagers were either near forty or young children who hadn't yet reached ten. This left him as the only young person around and although he was effectively a full adult he was still considered the 'young one' by many. It didn't bother him that much but occasionally he wished that there was at least one other person more his age he could spend time with. Alvin had recently begun joking that he'd need to head off the island for a bit to find himself a nice young lady and Eret usually blushed and stuttered out some excuse in order to escape before the conversation got any further.

While they'd all been joking around the captain had been eyeing the horizon in concern and he turned to the men, "Turn around and head for home lads, there's a big storm coming an' we don't want to be caught in it."

They all swiftly obeyed and set about heading for their island but the storm moved too quickly and soon they were battling mighty waves and fierce winds.

They tried to fight the storm but it was too powerful for their small vessel and the captain roared out an order, "TIE YERSELVES DOWN LADS! WE CAN ONLY RIDE IT OUT!"

Grabbing rope they all lashed themselves to the ship to avoid being washed overboard and hung on grimly. Lightning flashed down and thunder crashed above as huge waves flung the boat around like a toy, and ominous crack sounded through the raging weather and someone yelled out in alarm, "THE MAST!"

One of the cross spars snapped like a twig and tumbled down towards the deck. Men dived out of the way as far as their ropes allowed to avoid it but the snapped end sliced down right through one of the ropes.

The very rope holding Eret to the ship.

The captain spotted the danger immediately and he staggered towards the young man in order to grab him until he could be re-secured but the storm had other plans. Another crack sounded and this time the whole mast fell towards the deck and Eret jumped to one side. Doing so stopped it from crushing him but it also meant he had no grip on the boat and was now far too close to its sides. As if waiting for that very moment a wave far more powerful than the others washed over the whole boat, men hung on gamely against its pull and were saved by the ropes holding them to their vessel but Eret had no such security. The captain only saw the young man's fearful face before it vanished from sight in one watery surge.

Eret was gone.

* * *

The Sanctuary was quiet and peaceful under the gentle mantle of night and the cave that was the home of Snotlout's family was just as peaceful as its occupants slept.

Well…most of them.

The Monstrous Nightmare who was Snotlout's father was wide awake and thinking about his human son. He could tell that Snotlout was keeping something from them but he'd decided to wait for the boy to broach the subject rather than push him into doing so. He also knew that his eldest son Hookfang knew what the secret was as well but he'd not pushed him either. Experience had taught him that some things were best left until the people involved said something as they needed time to sort things out in their own mind first. His mate wasn't so patient and he'd kept stopping her from demanding an answer from her sons by reminding her of the very reasons he wasn't doing the same thing himself. However not pushing the subject didn't stop him from thinking about it and he had a few theories on what was happening.

It had to have something to do with five years ago as nothing that dramatic had happened since then and that thought worried him. When it had happened and Snotlout had been taken by Drago he feared that he wouldn't get his youngest son back and even when they'd rescued him it was still a great concern in his mind. He didn't know what the child had been through during his captivity and it was likely that any number of traumatic things could've happened, on top of that Snotlout had found and then lost his actual father and he thought that the boy might not want him anymore. Of course Snotlout had always known he wasn't their actual son, they were different species after all, but he feared that knowing who his birth father was would cause the boy to push them away. That would've broken their hearts for as far as they were concerned Snotlout was their son and nothing was going to change that so having the boy reject them would've been unbearable. Of course such a thing never happened and Snotlout actually grew closer to his dragon parents while keeping his real father's memory firmly in his mind. The boy actually distinguished the two of them when he spoke with his dragon father being 'dad' and his actual father being 'papa'. Since Snotlout's kidnapping and following rescue the two of them had spent a lot of time together as father and son where the boy made it clear that his two dragon parents would always be his family regardless of what happened.

Now though it seemed something from that time was resurfacing and his sons weren't telling him what was going on. From what he'd heard though they'd gone to the Bewilderbeast with Hiccup and Toothless and he hoped they were seeking advice from the Alpha about whatever they were hiding. If that was the case then the fact they still hadn't told him about it and the Bewilderbeast hadn't either suggested that the Alpha had told them not to so he'd just have to respect the great dragon's wishes and trust his judgement as he'd done for many years.

He looked back from his position at the cave mouth to his son curled into his mother's side sleeping peacefully. He gave a loving smile and gently stood and moved over to his mate and child. He softly nuzzled the boy's head and Snotlout murmured and shifted slightly in his sleep, settling down beside his mate he felt the boy unconsciously snuggle into him and he smiled again before lowering his head and letting himself drift into slumber with his child tucked safely between his parents.

* * *

It was a big day and Viggo knew it.

The moment his ship had docked at Dragon Island one of Drago's messengers had run up to him and swiftly informed him that the King wanted to see him and Ryker at the entrance to the volcano immediately. Knowing that something big was about to happen, Viggo left his ship along with his brother and they headed straight for the volcano that dominated the island.

The entrance was a huge iron door that was big enough to let the largest of dragons through and as expected Drago was already before it waiting for them. Donning his complete demeanour of respect Viggo bowed to Drago, "You requested my presence your Majesty."

Even as he spoke he noted that all of the Twelve Titans were present as well as Drago's most trusted advisor Saphia, further indicating the importance of Drago's summons. Drago gave the hunter a curt nod, "Indeed Viggo. Saphia has completed a project that's been years in the making and thanks to the efforts of Anthea we have the very thing we require to make it work. The first of a new form of warfare for my army is complete and it is time to show you all what we have created."

Viggo already knew or had guessed all of this and Drago was well aware of this fact, however they had to keep up their pretences so Viggo responded the way he was supposed to, "I see your Majesty. I didn't realise that you had such a project underway, I feel honoured that you are showing it to me."

Drago smiled though it was far from friendly, "I'm certain you'll appreciate it."

He turned and signalled the great doors to be opened, they did so with a mighty groaning and all who were present followed Drago through them and into the volcano. It was a bit of a walk into the interior but soon enough they came into the main chamber and the sights that it contained.

It was a similar size to the one on Lava-Lout Island but the walls were riddled with walkways, furnaces and forges that used the bubbling magma below. Slaves scurried about across these forging and shaping metal, glass and a whole array of other materials under the watchful eyes of soldiers and overseers.

However it wasn't any of these that held the attention of those who'd just entered, instead their focus was on several massive caverns carved into the chamber's sides containing the massive hulks of Drago's new weapon in various states of construction. As he laid eyes upon these new creations Viggo had to admit he was impressed and for once it wasn't something he couldn't have predicted. No acting was needed when he spoke as the amazement in his voice was definitely genuine, "What kind of weapons are they?"

Saphia smiled as she answered, "They're not weapons as such Viggo, they're more like our new armada."

She looked up at her creations, "We call them airships."

* * *

 _ **PS-Yes I have just added airships but Drago did need something to further combat the flight ability of most dragons, further information about how the airships work should be given next chapter. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	8. Meetings

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This one has a bit more detail on how the airships work as well as a slight peek into Drago's plans. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Meetings**

Despite the impressive size of the airship's exterior it was quite cramped inside with narrow corridors and small doors. You could just about have two people walking side by side so the entirety of Drago's party had to resort to a sort of double file as Saphia showed them the completed vessel.

"As you can see much of the airship's bulk is made up of the reinforced balloon that keeps it in the air. This makes the other areas such as the armoury and bridge seem very cramped and small. We were initially going to have them almost twice the size but it soon became clear that it would be completely impossible to do that with our resources so we made them smaller."

The youngest Titan, Gustav, spoke up, "Why didn't they work when they were bigger."

"It wasn't a case of them not working Gustav, we could get airships of that size to fly and function just fine but we simply didn't have enough materials to manage it. Scaling them down was the more practical option in order to make enough of them."

The red headed Titan, Nova, asked the next question, "How do these things fly anyway? I don't see anything that looks like wings to keep them in the air."

"That's because they don't need wings." Saphia explained further, "Years ago we did look at flying vessels using the same principles as birds and dragons, aka wings. However the results were far from perfect so we looked at alternative methods. In doing so we discovered that heating air inside a balloon to a certain point allows it to float and so we applied this method to our ships. Steam powered propellers allow us to move the ship forward and a modified version of a rudder controls its direction letting us take these vessels where we wish. Of course the steam system requires a lot of constant heat to actually work efficiently and fuelling the fires to heat the water into steam would have been a major restriction on our fleet. Wood fuel burns far too quickly to be any use and powering one of these ships would burn through our wood resources so rapidly we'd never get anywhere. Coal is a more suitable alternative but that has to be found and then mined and we simply don't have enough workers to get enough for these ships to use. In the end we managed to get our hands on a far more potent and easily sustainable source of heat, largely thanks to the efforts of Newt and Anthea who found and obtained it respectively."

Anthea beamed as everyone briefly looked at her but Newt remained impassive and it was Kadlin who asked the obvious question, "So what is the heat source?"

As she'd talked Saphia had been leading them into the very inner workings of the ship and she pulled out a strange container from within. Holding it towards them she opened a small hatch in its side and showed them all what was contained inside.

"Fireworms, a tiny dragon who's skin burns hotter than the sun, if the words of Berk's Book of Dragons are to be believed. Either way they give off more than enough heat for what we require."

Inside the container was several Fireworms their glow pouring out of their prison along with their innate heat. Saphia smiled, "With these we can power our whole armada and give us an edge against humans, dragons or even dragon riders."

She shut the lid on the imprisoned Fireworms, sealing them in their dark cage once more.

* * *

The sound of gently lapping waves was the first thing Eret knew. Next was the feeling of stone beneath him which was quickly followed by the warm weight of a blanket covering his body. After this came a quick flow of other things; the smell of cooking meat, the crackling of a fire and the sound of someone muttering which all pointed to the fact that he was very much not alone and someone had saved him from the storm.

Slowly opening his eyes he saw the rough stone roof that indicated he was in a cave and he turned his head to the side to look where he thought the sounds of cooking were coming from. His eyes fell open the face of a man sitting by a fire gently turning a spit holding several pieces of meat, he was ragged, unkempt, dirty and obviously been living rough for a long time but he had kindly eyes which brightened when he saw that Eret was awake.

"Finally! I was hoping ye'd wake up in time to eat."

Eret slowly sat up and looked himself over for any signs of injury, the man's smile grew broader, "Yer not injured laddie so don't worry. Ye were more half-drowned than anything else when I found ye on the beach. Yer lucky that storm washed ye up here before ye properly drowned."

Eret smiled thankfully, "Thank you for saving me."

The man waved a hand dismissively, "Don't mention it. I wasn't about to let a young one like yerself freeze to death on some soggy beach, that's no way for someone to treat anyone." He held out a skewer of meat to him, "So what's yer name laddie."

He didn't know why but Eret felt he could fully trust this stranger who'd helped him and he answered, "Eret, son of Eret though my father died a long time ago."

The man's gaze softened a little, "I'm sorry to hear that laddie." It brightened again, "I'm Gobber, wanderer, blacksmith an' former slave of the Fortress." He gestured over to a corner of the cave, "An' that's Grump over there, I helped him escape a rusty old trap a while ago an' he's been travelling with me ever since."

Looking where Gobber indicated Eret saw a Hotburple who gave lazy growl and blearily opened one eye before yawning and closing it again with a grumble.

"Away with ye, ye lazy old furnace. All ye ever do is sleep."

Grump didn't deign to respond and Gobber shook his head at the dragon as Eret stared at it in shock, "You travel with a dragon!?"

"Aye lad." Gobber shrugged, "Old Grump wouldn't hurt a fly if he could help it an' he can't fly anymore because the trap tore off his wing. He's been some sorely needed company for me as I've travelled." He directed his next words at the Hotburple, "Even if he's too lazy to go faster than an amble."

Grump snorted in response and Gobber waved his hooked hand at him pointedly, "I know ye can go faster than ye do ye fat fraud. I've seen ye when there's food to be had, ye go at a pace that would put a Nadder to shame whenever ye catch wind of a cooking fire."

The dragon grumbled again and Gobber rolled his eyes before returning his attention to Eret, "Lazy beast. No need to worry laddie, Grump won't hurt ye so just concentrate on eating yer food and getting some more rest. Ye can tell me where ye came from tomorrow an' we'll see about getting ye back home."

Gobber offered him some more meat and Eret took it and ate occasionally looking over at Grump who seemed completely asleep. Once he'd finished Gobber hustled him off sleep and he was reminded a bit of how Stoick would do something similar when he was younger.

Feeling safe despite the presence of a dragon Eret soon drifted off into slumber.

* * *

Drago was sat in his chambers pensively.

As expected his revealing of the airships had attracted Viggo's attention, the hunter had been noticeably impressed and seemed almost pleased that someone had come up with something he didn't see coming. However Viggo knew that he'd been working on something big and all the information the man had lacked was what was being built. Now the hunter had that information so he'd likely start to whittle away at Drago's power by turning his men against him. Some would willingly change sides but there were many that wouldn't turn against their king, Drago just had to make sure he knew which ones were which as he played his next moves in his and Viggo's game of power. For the moment though that wasn't the main concern of his thoughts as something else currently held that position.

There was a knocking upon his chamber door and Drago instantly looked up and spoke, "Enter."

Saphia strode in and briefly bowed to him, "You wished to speak with me Milord?"

"Yes Saphia. There is something I want your opinion on."

He gestured to a seat and she swiftly sat in it silently awaiting for what her king wanted to discuss. Once she was seated Drago removed one of his heavy gauntlets and showed her the back of his hand, "What do you make of this."

She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the mark that had appeared upon her king's hand, "It looks like some sort of birthmark or tattoo but I'm certain it's not either."

"It began to appear a few weeks ago and has only grown clearer since, it must have some sort of meaning."

Saphia clasped her hands thoughtfully, "It certainly isn't a natural occurrence, its shape is too set and clear to be the result of some malady so perhaps it is related to the artefact. You were the first and only person to use its ability to absorb the powers of a dragon without the Joining apparatus I created and it was to take the powers of an Alpha. I don't see why it would take this many years to materialise though."

Drago studied the mark, "I wandered the same thing myself but I believe it has something to do with the unique power I carry, the power that was only found in one other person."

"The boy, Snotlout." Saphia narrowed her eyes in thought, "That is more likely but again it's strange for the mark to take this long to appear if you're suggesting that it's a reaction to meeting him. You came into contact with the boy five years ago and his Joining was a failure due to that other child smashing the artefact. Five years is a long time for a reaction to show itself." She hummed slightly, "Of course another theory is that the mark is a reaction to something else that is happening, we've never really known much about the power you carry and I've discovered very little about it. Even our reasoning that it is the reason only you could take the powers of an Alpha was little more than a theory and we never proved it one way or another."

"There is another theory that I have devised."

Saphia looked up at her king, "Oh? May I ask what it is your Majesty?"

Drago leaned forward, "Snotlout is the only other person who also had this hidden power and we don't know what he has been doing the last five years. If he has been searching for a way of controlling his power he may have found a way to take an Alpha's power even without the artefact. This mark could be exactly that, a way of setting apart those that wield this power from all others and it's only appeared now because the boy has worked out how to do so."

"So it's a warning for you, that there is another out there as strong as you are and the marks allow you to recognise each other."

"Indeed."

Saphia leaned forward, "That is quite plausible and if it is true then it means we could have a dangerous enemy waiting for us, one that could even rival you if given enough time."

"Exactly Saphia." Drago leaned back once more, "However all of these are still just theories but it is clear we need to discover the truth and do so soon. We need to locate Snotlout once more and find out if he has a similar mark appearing upon his hand and what it means."

"And now we have the airships we can search further areas far more quickly and discover where he's been the last five years."

Drago smirked, "Though we managed to capture him five years ago we never discovered where he and the other Dragon Riders were hiding, now though it will be a very different story. Not only will we find their base but we'll also be able to take it, their main advantage was flight but now we have our own methods of controlling the skies. It'll will make it far more difficult to defend themselves well."

Saphia smiled, "I shall start preparations on the ships straight away. Those riders have stayed in hiding long enough."

* * *

 _ **PS-So Drago has a mark too and he's set on finding the Sanctuary. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	9. The Game Begins

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and apologise for procrastinating on this story for so long. I've been letting myself get distracted by a load of other things like Star Wars, Civil War, Hyrule Warriors and a load of other things. Now though there is another chapter featuring Viggo, Snotlout and a brief glimpse of Alister. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **The Game Begins**

Drago wasn't the only one who'd been pensive after the unveiling of the airships. Viggo had also been deep in thought within his quarters.

The possibilities of the airships were quite numerous making them very appealing. They could be used for invasion, spying and safe transport of resources so their military applications were immense. They would also serve well against the dragons, they may not fly as fast as an actual dragon but with the right weaponry and tactics they could be a formidable foe for the beasts and greatly increase their chances against them.

Viggo could feel his excitement bubbling up inside him at the thought of such vessels but experience had taught how to control his emotions. Already his fertile mind was working and looking ahead at what Drago's next move would be, since he'd revealed his new weapons then it was likely he was going to use them very soon and Viggo was pretty certain what the first target would be.

He knew all about the Dragon Riders and how those children managed to bring down the Fortress, he also knew that the one called Snotlout was supposed to become Drago's heir but his Joining, which would have made him a Titan, was interrupted and never completed. The very fact that Drago chose that boy when he already had twelve full Titans suggested that Snotlout had the potential to be Drago's equal in terms of raw power, this was of great interest to Viggo and he had to find a way to somehow find and bring this boy over to his side. If he did then he'd have a weapon that could be equal to Drago and balance out the huge power difference between them putting things further in his favour, of course Drago would be expecting something like that from him so he'd try and get the boy first. However that was exactly what Viggo wanted him to do and he'd already set a couple of things in motion to further help himself.

There was a heavy knock on his door and he instantly knew who wanted entry, "Enter."

Ryker shambled in getting straight to the point as always, "What are ye going to do about Drago's new ships?"

Viggo smiled, "Nothing for the moment, we can use them to our advantage and we'll want command of them eventually. I must admit that I was impressed this time, it takes quite the mind to think of something like that and to then get the idea to work."

"But what if he turns them on us!?"

"Don't worry brother, he cannot do that yet."

Ryker looked confused and Viggo sighed at his elder brother's ignorance, "The airships cannot fly themselves and it would be foolish to place the control of such vessels in the hands of slaves. As such Drago needs us and our men to crew those ships because without a crew the whole thing is useless, he doesn't have enough people of his own to not use ours." Viggo stood and paced slightly, "Now there are three vessels fully ready for active service so Drago will need three captains, one will obviously be Savage as he is Drago's top commander. The second is apparently going to be the Titan Kadlin as she is the oldest of the Twelve though with the way the Titan's work it will be little more than a necessary title since they all are effectively equal anyway. The final captain will be me. Savage and I hold the same position though I do not follow Drago as loyally as he does, despite this my information shows that I'll be the third captain so it will give us a bit more leeway in what we do." He stopped his pacing to look down at his ever present Maces and Talons board, "More of Drago's men are coming over to our side though we have to recruit them discreetly and carefully so we don't tip off those loyal to the so called 'King'. My spies have been doing excellent work gathering information for me and I know that our first mission with the new airships will be a search for the Dragon Riders from five years ago. This is our chance to make a further move in mine and Drago's little game, if we get the one called Snotlout on our side then we might be able to get him to the stage where he can match Drago's power."

Ryker grinned, "Then we take him down."

Viggo smiled back, "Indeed brother. Then we take him down."

* * *

Snotlout woke up with a huge yawn to discover that his father wasn't around.

This was fairly unusual since both the boy and the adult Nightmare shared a love of sleep and it was more often than not his mother that would wake them both up. He saw her coming out of Hookfang's cave with her oldest son following behind and he guessed she'd just woken him up as well. She gave her youngest a smile when she saw he was already awake and Snotlout returned it as he greeted her, "Morning mom." He grinned at his older brother, "Looks like mom kicked you out of bed."

Hookfang grumbled sleepily and yawned, like his father and brother he enjoyed his sleep as well. Their mother smiled again and set about preparing breakfast, it consisted of mostly fish but while Hookfang ate it raw like most dragons Snotlout had to have his cooked. He personally didn't mind raw fish but Valka had made it clear that humans couldn't handle raw meat the way dragons could and were likely to get ill from eating it, as such Snotlout's mother had become quite adept at using her fire to cook her youngest son's meals. Of course this had meant that Hiccup had snuck around to theirs to eat more than once, for while Valka wasn't an awful cook there were some things that she should never cook ever. Meatballs was one such example and Snotlout was sure that the effects from the ones he had to eat a couple of days ago were still cropping up.

As they ate Snotlout spoke to his mother, "Mom, where's dad?"

The Nightmare female rumbled out her response and told him that his father was at a meeting with the Bewilderbeast and the other senior dragons, it had been called for very suddenly early that morning and no-one was really sure what it was about. Just as they finished there was a voice from outside the cave, "Hey Snotlout, are you up yet?"

Recognising Hiccup's voice Snotlout stood and called back, "Yeah, I've just finished breakfast."

There was a padding of feet and Hiccup entered with Toothless bouncing alongside him, the Night Fury bounded up to his human cousin and gave his normal welcoming nuzzle which Snotlout returned. The boy then focused his attention back on Hiccup, "I'm guessing the others are all ready to head off."

Hiccup smiled, "Yeah, we're just waiting on you and Hookfang. Astrid is getting pretty impatient and I think the twin's mom can't wait to send them away for the day, it'll stop them blowing up another part of the Sanctuary."

"Seriously what's with them blowing things up? They and their brothers get way too much enjoyment out of destruction."

Hookfang snorted in agreement and Toothless gave a small chuckle. Snotlout turned back to his mother, "We'll see you later mom."

She rumbled a goodbye and gave him a quick nuzzle before doing the same with her eldest, both of them grumbled in slight embarrassment before heading off out of the cave along with Hiccup and Toothless.

* * *

On Lava-Lout Island Alister stood at the entrance to another tunnel.

It was dark within and he had no way of knowing what secrets it held. Behind him was the main chamber of the volcano but he had the distinct feeling that what was inside this new tunnel was the true heart of the mountain. Looking back he saw both Shadow and the Red Death watching him and the Night Fury gave him an encouraging nod and he looked back at the tunnel before him.

It was to be his next stage of training and he'd been told to enter the tunnel and locate a specific weapon that lay within, it sounded easy but Alister could tell that it would be an immense challenge. It was as much a test as training and he was certain failing would not end well for him in the slightest.

Icebolt nudged him and he smiled at his friend, the Skrill was entering with him and he patted his snout gratefully, "Thanks Icebolt."

He took a deep breath and looked back into the tunnel his face set in determination, "Let's do this."

He stepped inside.

* * *

As both boy and dragon entered Shadow spoke to his former mentor. She turned away from the tunnel and gazed upwards at the crater rim answering in the language of the humans, " _It will be difficult for him but I believe he will succeed. However retrieving the weapon is just the first step, he has to learn how to use it as well and there has only been one who's managed such a feat._ "

The Night Fury growled questionably and she shook her head, " _I'm not at liberty to tell you his name for I promised to keep it secret from all others. Only the one who can learn his arts is allowed to know his name and in truth I'm not fully aware of who he actually is._ " She gazed down thoughtfully, " _I merely got a sense that he was far older than you think and he had an aura about him, one that I can't explain. He is no doubt a formidable warrior but his past is unknown and I don't think he's taken part in any of the wars of the humans for some time. In fact I cannot definitely say that he is human._ "

Shadow rumbled in concern and she smiled at him, " _Do not worry, he is an honourable man and I'm certain that he'll train Alister well._ "

Her face turned serious and she gazed at the tunnel entrance once more,

" _Provided the boy is successful here first._ "

* * *

 _ **PS-So there we go and things will likely start properly kicking off in the next couple of chapters. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update sooner next time.**_


	10. Drago Rising

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to the next chapter of Family of Iron. The plot starts to move a little further along this time so we'll hopefully have some action in upcoming chapters. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Drago Rising**

Eret woke with a yawn to find the cave brightly lit by sunlight streaming in through its entrance. Gobber was still beside the fire and appeared to be cooking breakfast while Grump was still snoring in exactly the same place as he'd been earlier.

Gobber grinned at him, "Morning laddie, though only just. It's near midday now." He handed over some food, "Have some brunch."

Eret accepted what looked like some sort of sandwich and began eating, Grump slowly stood and ambled over to the fire and growled at Gobber. The wanderer rolled his eyes, "An' guess who wakes the moment he smells food."

The Hotburple snorted and shoved the man aside to get to a pile of fish as Gobber continued to verbally berate the dragon. Eret was fascinated by the relationship between Grump and Gobber which seemed to be built on mutual ribbing and insulting exchanges, on top of that Gobber seemed to understand the dragon's answers and he had no idea how the man did that.

"Away with ye, ye lazy lizard."

Gobber left Grump to finish his food and focused back on Eret, "Now laddie, where are ye from?"

Eret was caught off guard for a moment but quickly recovered and answered, "Oh…umm…a small island in the west of the Archipelago. After the Fortress fell we travelled to get as far away from it as possible."

"Ye came from the Fortress?"

Gobber looked surprised and Eret nodded, "Yeah, I was a slave there for much of my life and we escaped from the Fortress as it collapsed." He grimaced, "Just about."

Gobber nodded sadly, "A shame a young lad like yerself ended up in that hel-hole. At least ye got away in time and with others to boot! I escaped by myself by using Gertrude."

"Gertrude?"

"My very own seafaring vessel." Gobber answered proudly, "There's no ship on the whole ocean finer than Gertrude."

Eret smiled, "She sounds like a dream."

"That she is laddie." He returned to the previous topic, "Well now that I know where yer from we can head westwards when yer ready, I'm actually looking for someone and I've not searched that way yet."

Eret's smile grew bigger, "Thank you, my uncles will be really worried about me by now."

"Yer uncles?"

Eret shrugged lightly, "Their not my actual uncles, at least not by blood but they've looked after me ever since I lost my mother years ago. Uncle Stoick is basically my second father."

"DID YE SAY STOICK!?"

Gobber had sat bolt upright and Eret jumped in surprise at his suddenly raised voice, "Yes…he's effectively our village chief and has been looking after me for years."

Gobber leapt to his feet in excitement, "THANK THOR! I've been looking for Stoick for the last five years!"

"What! Why!?"

The man didn't answer as he hauled Eret up and began scurrying around the cave and packing everything, "Not now laddie, I'll explain when we're on our way. Help me sort this stuff out."

Bewildered Eret found himself running around helping the man gather up what little he had with him and Gobber roughly prodded Grump who'd already gone to sleep again, "C'mon ye lazy beast, it time to get going!"

The Hotburple gave a sleepy growl and got to his feet and soon Eret was running after the excited Gobber still not entirely sure what was happening.

* * *

Swooping low over the ocean the dragons and their siblings laughed and shouted as they enjoyed the day.

They'd been allowed to head off away from the Sanctuary for a whole day and they were on their way to the island with the cave Hiccup and Snotlout had been at a couple of days earlier. They weren't in any hurry and swooped and played as they travelled just enjoying the day and each other's company and eventually the island appeared below them.

They broke into a race towards it and Toothless and Hiccup arrived first and turned just in time to see the others landing. Astrid and Stormfly were close behind and the Nadder skidded to a halt as she landed, they were nearly blown over by the air blast from Hookfang's wings as he snapped them forward in order to halt his high speed approach. This threw Snotlout forwards and the Nightmare just caught him in his mouth before he crashed face first on the ground. The twins and Barf and Belch were next and they had the messiest landing since the Zippleback didn't slow down and they tumbled across the ground straight into the nearby shrubbery where they ended up in a tangled heap. Fishlegs and Meatlug hovered over where they'd landed to see if they could help and the others eventually untangled the four of them to find they were amazingly unharmed. With everyone down safely (sort of) Hiccup led the way into the cave.

There was an awed silence as they took in the sight within and even the twins looked impressed, Fishlegs was practically quivering, "These formations are so cool!"

Ruffnut nodded, "Yeah."

Tuffnut agreed, "Totally, they're so sharp and pointy."

"Sharp is always good." His sister added.

Astrid spoke next, "It is quite the sight. I wonder how these formations came about."

Fishlegs was already studying the formations, "I don't know but it would be pretty cool to find out."

Astrid had wandered over to the back wall and ran her hand over the flat surface, "Why's this section so flat? It's almost unnatural."

Fishlegs had joined her and he also examined the wall, "That is strange. It's like someone deliberately carved it that way but I don't see why anyone would bother carving a single section of wall in a random cave."

"Maybe it happened naturally." Hiccup suggested.

Fishlegs frowned, "Maybe…"

There was a small thud from outside and the familiar roar of Astrid's father and the kids headed outside to see what was happening. The Nadder was stood just outside the cave and he wore a grave expression, seeing it Astrid hurried over to him, "Dad, why are you here?"

He answered with a series of short growls and Fishlegs blanched, "Seriously! Humans managed to take Fireworm Island and everyone on it?"

"That's really not good." Hiccup stated.

"Aren't the Fireworms like seers?" Snotlout asked, "I thought at least one of them would've foreseen the attack."

"Not necessarily." Fishlegs explained, "Yes the Fireworms are seers and can look into the future but that doesn't mean they know everything. I asked Grandfather about them once and he told me that they can only see what their scrying allows and their visions can vary from crystal clear to foggy possibilities, prophecy is an art that's awkward at best and even the greatest seers can miss things."

"All the Fireworms being taken is still frightening though." Astrid pointed out, "Even if they didn't foresee the attack they would've still had enough warning to fight back and at least some of them would've escaped. A human army managing to capture every single one of them is very bad."

Ruffnut looked at Astrid's father worriedly, "Now I'm not sure I want to hear the answer…"

"But who was it that attacked the Fireworms?" Tuffnut finished.

The Nadder closed his eyes and hesitated and Snotlout spoke quietly,

"It was Drago's army wasn't it."

The dragon nodded.

"WHAT!" Astrid blurted, "I thought he would've been killed when his fortress fell on him and his army scattered all over the place!"

Her father didn't address her words but he told them that until they knew things were safe all those from the Sanctuary were to remain as close to it as possible so they needed to head home now.

Obeying his words they all got on their respective dragon siblings and all flew back towards the Sanctuary with Astrid's father leading the way. They flew in silence as they each thought about the news they'd just heard and the implications it had, they had been certain Drago perished five years ago but knowing it was his army that had attacked the Fireworms placed a fearful doubt in their minds.

They didn't want to think that he was actually still alive.

* * *

Standing on the shores of Dragon Island, facing towards the volcano that graced its centre, Drago couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Today was the day when his new creations would enter the outside world.

All night slaves had been working rapidly to ensure that the airships were ready to fly at dawn. Newt had been as flawless as always and had located a dragon nest that could be the home of the Dragon Riders and that was their first area to investigate.

A dull rumbling that shook the island was heard and like a maw of some great beast a section of the mountain side was levered outwards to reveal the vast tunnel behind. This great door was another marvel created by Saphia and it required masses of people to function it but it was a solid barrier to protect the vast workings inside the volcano. His army gazed in awe and another low noise that none could label grew steadily louder. Then, moving gracefully into the dawn-light, the immense rounded nose of the first airship exited the mountain, its propellers spun regularly powering it out and steam was puffed out behind as the engines vented what was no longer needed.

Any who hadn't seen the vessels gaped in amazement not believing that something so big was flying above them, even those that knew were stunned to see the airship actually fly and there was murmurings and exclamations from the onlookers.

The first airship was followed by the second and then the third and the vessels flew over the beach with the rising sun lighting their flanks. Drago raised his spear in the air and gave what could only be described as a roar of joy as his new weapons of conquest began their first ever mission.

* * *

On the bridge of one of the airships Viggo looked down upon the barely visible form of the king, "So a new part of our game begins Drago. I have my next move already planned so how will you counter it."

He allowed himself a small smile,

"I'm looking forward to finding out."

* * *

 _ **PS-Everyone is moving out so to speak. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	11. Beginning of a Trial

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and sorry for the long break of nearly a month since the last update. I started focusing more on one of my other fics as well as some other things which meant I wasn't writing this story, now though the other story is done so I'll be much more focused on this one. We see Alister once more this time around as he starts his trial and a good part of the chapter is dedicated to him and Icebolt. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Beginning of a Trial**

Unease shrouded the Sanctuary as word spread of the capturing of the Fireworms.

Everyone was trying to go about their daily business as normal but their concern was obvious as dragons stopped and conversed with their neighbours about the events. Parents kept their children close and the relief at the kids returning home safely was clear, Fishlegs and Meatlug's mother rushed over when they arrived to double check they were fine in her usual smothering fashion and the two of they were soon ushered away back to the family cave. As the other kids disappeared off with their respective families Snotlout's mother hurried over to her sons and told them that the Bewilderbeast wanted to speak to them as well as Hiccup and Toothless. The two cousins exchanged concerned looks feeling pretty certain about what Grandfather wanted to talk to them about. Snotlout thanked his mother and the four of them left and headed off to the dragon king's private cave.

The Bewilderbeast was waiting for them and so was Valka, Cloudjumper and Snotlout's father.

The dragon king smiled as they entered but his eyes held concern. Valka hurried over to them to make sure they were alright, Cloudjumper looked on from his position near the Bewilderbeast and Snotlout's father gave his sons a brief smile before the dragon king called the attention of everyone. He glanced at the two boys and they didn't need him to speak to understand that he was asking whether they wanted to tell the rest or let him do so. Hiccup responded with a short nod to indicate that they thought it best if the Bewilderbeast explained what was happening.

The dragon king gave a small grunt of understanding and proceeded to tell the three adults everything they knew about the marks that were appearing upon the back of the boy's hands.

* * *

The flickering blue light of Icebolt's sparks gave an eerie air to the tunnel as they pressed on down its length.

The Skrill was causing a small bolt of lightning to crackle between his two wing tips in order to give them light and Alister was grateful for his dragon. The tunnel constantly sloped downwards and it seemed to be travelling in a spiral towards wherever they were going, its walls were fairly smooth and the teen could see that it was actually a man-made construction rather than a natural creation.

He was beginning to wonder if the tunnel would ever end when it suddenly levelled off and straightened out as it approached a stone door.

It was blank except for a single, large symbol carved in its centre and was made from some sort of pale stone. There was no obvious opening mechanism on the door or either side of it, Alister scoured the tunnel looking for something like a lever or indication of how to get the door open but the tunnel was empty. He approached the door and placed his hand on the central symbol looking for a hidden mechanism.

Suddenly the ground rumbled slightly and the door slide upwards into its frame releasing a wave of both heat and light as what lay beyond was revealed.

A long, low ceilinged cavern filled with lava that bubbled lazily as it produced intense heat. Through the centre of this cavern ran a narrow stone path which was raised above the lava's surface, the ceiling was too low for flight forcing both of them to risk the treacherous path. Alister could see another door, identical to the one they'd just opened, at the far end of the cavern and it was to this the path led.

He hesitated at this dangerous route but Icebolt nudged him gently and rumbled firmly, the teen grinned slightly, "You're right Icebolt, we can't turn back this easily or give up." He took a deep breath, "It's probably going to get much harder than this further in so I need to be ready."

Carefully he stepped through the doorway and onto the narrow path trying hard to not look at the lava bubbling either side. Sweat ran down his face at the intense heat surrounding him and he realised he didn't have the luxury of taking his time, he had to get through the room before he overheated. Upping his pace to a swift walk he stepped out along the narrow path still doing his best to make sure his footing was secure as he walked, Icebolt followed closely behind and with less discomfort due to his heat resistant scales. Suddenly some of Alister's sweat entered his eyes and he instinctively closed them just as he was taking a step. Instead of planting his foot down safely he put it down on the path edge and it crumbled beneath him throwing him off balance and causing him to topple sideways off the path and down to the waiting lava.

Like a shot Icebolt snapped forward and grabbed his friend's shirt in his mouth halting the death drop, using his wings to maintain his own balance the Skrill pulled the teen back onto the path where he crouched down, panting heavily with shock at his near-miss. The dragon rumbled worriedly at his rider suggesting that he ride on him instead of walking it himself but Alister shook his head, "Thanks Icebolt but I think I have to do this myself."

The Skrill wasn't happy but he nodded in response and the teen stood and walked on once more.

* * *

It was only a few minutes but they felt like an eternity to Alister and he was close to collapse when he reached the next door. The heat seemed to drain away his energy and strength and sweat was pouring off him like waterfalls so it was with great effort that he brought his hand up and placed it on the door's central symbol, as before the door slid upwards and Alister gratefully stumbled into the room beyond.

It was far colder than the one he'd left and he relished the cool air upon his overheated body, for a while he simply stood enjoying the cold but eventually he looked around his new surroundings.

It was much smaller than the chamber he'd just left and was lit by a strange crystal embedded in the ceiling, how it lit the place Alister had no idea but he was glad that it did. In the centre of the square-shaped room was a small, deep pool and the teen headed in its direction eagerly in order to sate the raging thirst that had now made itself known. Before drinking he looked to Icebolt and after a quick inspection the Skrill nodded to indicate that, as far as he could tell, the water was safe. Crouching down Alister began slowly drinking from the pool letting the cold water further cool him, once he was done Icebolt also drank his fill as the teen looked towards the back wall of the room. Distracted as he had been by the pool he'd failed to notice the pedestal in clear place of importance which bore something upon it, curious, Alister walked over to it to discover what had been put in pride of place there.

It was a suit of armour.

It wasn't like the classic metal armour many people knew of and was actually closer to clothing, the material looked like scales instead of cloth and upon touching it Alister found that it was actual scales that had been woven into the fabric. It consisted of tunic, trousers, boots and helmet and the tunic and trousers were made from the same scale woven material. The boots were tough leather but instead of scales they had what looked like plating that had been constructed from something that was different than metal. The helmet was the strangest because it wasn't so much a helmet as a face mask, the top and sides were made from the same material as the boot plating but in addition there was material placed in the position where it would stretch across the wearer's face covering their nose and mouth. The whole armour was engraved with subtly elegant patterns and its colouring was a pattern of dull bronze and black and the chest had the same symbol as the doors upon it.

Picking up the tunic, Alister eyed it thoughtfully, the next door was directly behind the pedestal and the teen was certain that the armour wasn't just a random treasure and actually had a purpose that could help him in the trials ahead. Whoever constructed the place must have considered the armour important to leave it where it was and the fact that it bore the same symbol as the doors further proved that fact.

His mind made up Alister set about changing into the armour.

It had been designed to be very adjustable allowing it to fit a variety of body sizes so the teen easily got it to fit his build. He found that the material that acted as a face mask could actually be detached and he took it off finding it more comfortable that way. Once dressed he looked at Icebolt, "Well, what do you think?"

The Skrill looked him up and down for a bit before finally growling out his approval of his friend's new wardrobe and Alister grinned, "Well at least it meets your standards. Let's keep going."

The Skrill gave a small roar of agreement.

* * *

 _ **PS-And so the test continues and there are a couple of tiny hints for what other verse this story will crossover with eventually. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update much quicker next time.**_


	12. Spy

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to chapter twelve. This time we get a little insight into what is happening aboard the airships and we meet up again with Eret and Gobber. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Spy**

The airships flew onwards towards their destination cutting their way ominously through the sky.

Each one had been given a name by its respective captain allowing people to differentiate between the three. Viggo's had been named _Dragon Eye_ , apparently after an artefact that had long been lost to his tribe. Savage had christened his _Seua Saming_ but gave no reason for it other than it was a name he'd encountered in his past. Finally the Titans had named their vessel _Dragon Bane_ as a clear statement of what they were and the goal of their father.

Each vessel was equipped with a number of much smaller vessels designed to serve as drop craft for the army as well as a way of moving between the airships without landing them and there were a couple of these moving between the three ships. On one of these two of the newly trained pilots sat conversing as they flew their small ship towards the _Dragon Bane_.

"I don't like going to that ship," one of them grumbled, "Ye never know if one of them Titans will suddenly take a disliking to ye and attack ye on the spot."

"Aye." The other agreed, "Dagur and Arina are the worst, they kill and maim people like us because they enjoy it. The others are generally okay as long as ye do as yer told and don't screw up."

"It sometimes makes me wonder if it would be worth joining Viggo's side instead, they say 'e's planning a mutiny of sorts against Drago." The first one murmured.

"Yer better off putting all thoughts o' mutiny out of yer head." The second swiftly answered, "No one can take on Drago an' win, no one who aint a Titan anyway. The only ones who got close were those kids five years ago an' people say that's because they 'ad some sort of special power, that's why Drago was so interested in them in the first place." He shook his head, "For people like us the best bet is to just keep our 'eads down and obey whoever ends up in charge, leave the power struggles to those up top an' ye might just live a bit longer."

As the two men continued their discussion they didn't notice the third person in the cabin with them and that was just how he liked it.

He bore no name and had long since let his past fade into days gone by. Describing him was also of little use for he could be whatever he needed to be and the only thing he was consistently was Viggo's top operative.

The man was a spy, assassin, scout, thief and anything else that was required of him at any given time. He knew numerous languages, customs and social norms from the world over and could vanish into any crowd in any country. His stealth skills were unparalleled and his vast amount of experience placed him above all others skilled in similar abilities to him.

Currently his mission was one of reconnaissance on the _Dragon Bane_ and he was gathering what information he could on the Twelve Titans to see if any of them would be willing to join Viggo. He'd been listening in to the two pilots seeing if he could pick up some small pieces of info but what they'd said was information he'd already gathered so there was nothing of use to him. As such he turned his attention to his course of action once aboard the airship.

None of those aboard the ship would ever know he was there unless he wanted them to so he had little concern about being discovered. The most potent spy Drago had was Newt the Changewing Titan and while she had talent she was well beneath his skill level, her ability to turn invisible was admittedly a most useful tool but he'd long since learned how to notice what didn't want to be noticed.

The small vessel he was aboard docked with the _Dragon Bane_ and as people began unloading the delivery it was carrying he slipped aboard the Titan's airship his presence as noticeable as the air.

* * *

Eret hadn't exactly been impressed when he first laid eyes on the _Gertrude_ and he wondered how Gobber had managed to keep her afloat for five years.

She was small and looked like she'd once been one of the Fortress' fishing boats. While not leaky she'd clearly been repaired often and with whatever came to hand and her sail was patch worked and worn. Despite his thoughts Eret kept quiet as Gobber hurried him aboard, he knew that many sailors wouldn't have a word said against their ship regardless of the truth of said word and it was obvious Gobber was very fond of his creaky old tub.

Gobber dashed about snapping out instructions as they got _Gertrude_ ready to sail and with a groan of complaint the little boat turned away from the island and sailed away westwards.

As they sailed Eret's opinion of the boat changed slightly when he discovered that she actually sailed quite well. It seemed that Gobber had sacrificed aesthetics for functionality and performance in his repairs over the years and _Gertrude_ could go at quite a pace in favourable conditions. She fairly skimmed over the waves as she headed for the west with a good wind to fill her sail and the island they'd left rapidly diminished behind them.

Grump had gone back to sleep the moment he'd boarded the boat and Eret and Gobber had to keep working around him as they sailed it. As they worked Gobber peppered the twenty year old with questions about Stoick and what had happened in the time he'd known him, the man was surprised to hear about Alvin and when questioned he simply shook his head, "Don't ye worry about it laddie, they've obviously sorted it out an' left it in the past a long time ago."

Finally Eret managed to ask Gobber something he'd wanted to know since they'd left, "How do you know Uncle Stoick and why are you looking for him."

Gobber gave a nostalgic smile, "I knew Stoick a long time ago when he was still chief of Berk, before Drago attacked an' destroyed it. We were good friends an' had been through a lot of things together. Then Drago came along and tore down our home an' enslaved or killed our tribe, something I'm sure yer very familiar with."

Eret nodded solemnly, though young when it had happened he remembered when Drago had conquered his tribe and the memories resurfaced from time to time. Gobber smiled understandingly then continued his tale, "Once Berk had been conquered I was taken away to the forges in the Fortress, I'd been Berk's blacksmith before my slavery, an' I didn't see Stoick again." The man's eyes grew distant, "I never got the chance to tell him something important that happened on the night Drago attacked, something he needed to know. Then five years ago, during the collapse of the Fortress, I saw something that I barely believed myself, it was a miracle in and of itself and I as I escaped I knew that I had to find Stoick an' tell him what I saw, what I discovered. Once he knew his life would be completely changed an' I've spent the last five years looking for him."

"What is it you need to tell him?"

Eret immediately felt guilty after he asked the question realising that it wasn't actually his business but Gobber regarded him thoughtfully for a moment before speaking, "Maybe it's better if ye do know the whole story laddie, just in case."

As _Gertrude_ sailed on Gobber told Eret about the destruction of Berk fifteen years ago.

* * *

 _ **PS-So we delve back to the end of Berk next time around and we'll see some of what happened that day. Please let me know what you thought and I'll update soon.**_


	13. The Fall of Berk

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello all and yes I managed two new chapters today! This is a flashback to the destruction of Berk and an explanation of some of its events. I'll warn you now that because it's a battle it's not pretty but I haven't gone out of my way to make it highly graphic or gruesome. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **The Fall of Berk**

The armada that appeared in their waters was massive and many Vikings could see that chances of victory were minuscule at best but they were Vikings of Berk and a tiny chance was worth taking.

The moment the alarm horns blared Berk became a hive of activity, warriors dashed about gathering weapons and attending to defences as mothers and the elderly shepherded children towards the safety of the Great Hall. Gobber was in the forge passing out weapons and rapidly repairing and preparing more, through the throngs of people he could see Stoick handing his baby son Hiccup over to Mrs Ingerman. The chief quickly kissed his child's forehead before running off to lead the defenders as the women carried both Hiccup and her own son Fishlegs towards the hall. Further away the blacksmith saw Spitelout and his wife Helga preparing to fight as well, their one week old son was in the arms of his grandmother and the two Jorgensons shared a moment with him before the woman hurried off after the rest of the children and elderly.

Then from out of the blue a fireball impacted right before her.

People cried out in alarm and confusion at the sudden explosion but Gobber was out the forge and running as fast as his peg leg allowed towards the elderly lady. More horns bellowed over the village declaring the arrival of dragons but the blacksmith ignored them in favour of the grandmother and the precious load she bore. More fireballs blasted around and were joined by burning shots from the armada of ships, houses were obliterated and people screamed out in pain as they received burns and crushing injuries from the missiles.

However Gobber was a trained warrior and he could easily tune all of it out and focus on the woman before him. The elderly lady was very much dead, killed by her injuries from the fireball and the fall that it had caused, but the baby in her arms was unharmed, she'd reacted quickly enough to shield him from the blast at the cost of herself and Gobber pulled the wailing infant from her limp arms and ran for the Great Hall. The woman's body could be dealt with after the battle but the baby needed to be taken somewhere safe right now and that's what Gobber set his mind on.

Unfortunately safety was nowhere to be found this time.

The Great Hall was already taken, overrun by enemy forces that must have used the distraction of the armada to come from behind the village. Children howled and wailed as they were seized by vicious men, parents were slaughtered as they tried to defend them and young maidens screamed as the enemy frenziedly had their way with them. Mrs Thornston and Mrs Ingerman were charging towards him their arms bearing Berks most recent children. Fishlegs, Hiccup, Astrid, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were wailing like banshees as the two women ran, behind them was Mrs Hofferson and her mother were holding off the enemy so the other two could escape but they were overcome even as Gobber began to run forwards towards them. He powered on fully intending to hand them the babe he held and engage the foe himself to buy them more time but Mrs Ingerman was taken down by an arrow before he got a chance, as she fell Mrs Thornston hesitated and was claimed next as Gobber screeched to her side. She looked up at him saying only two words before succumbing to death, "Save them!"

Even as he moved to grab the children Gobber knew that the enemy were almost upon him, that he had no time, that he could not fulfil a dead mother's last command but as if the gods had seen his plight a blue/purple blast erupted before him sending the foe flying and giving him the time he needed. Not caring where it had come from Gobber seized the chance. He had no idea how he did it but somehow he grabbed all six children and ran with them away from the Great Hall and towards the forge, he wasn't thinking nor was he planning, he was just trying to keep alight the six lives he literally held in his hands.

The battle was now fully raging throughout the village as the armada had landed upon the beaches, blades clashed and war cries sounded as the Berkians engaged their foe. Houses crackled like pyres as dragons flew above the chaos raining more fire upon the village below, yells, screams, howls and cries resounded in the air as people were cut down on both sides of the fight.

Suddenly a dragon landed before him barring his way. It roared ferociously ready to pounce upon him and Gobber didn't know what to do, with his arms full as they were he couldn't fight the beast off and even if he could the enemy was still behind him. He braced ready to charge with desperate determination when a black form dived in from the side with a terrible roar of its own, there was a few seconds of vicious tussling, biting and scratching until the dragon was sent flying away with a roar of pain as blood poured from a wound on its side. Gobber's saviour turned to face him and his breath caught in his throat as he saw what it was. Black, four-legged, with powerful wings and deep green eyes, he'd never seen such a creature before but he knew what it was.

A Night Fury.

The dragon snarled and Gobber was certain the end was nigh, he turned away and crouched over the six little lives he held hoping that maybe doing so would help them survive the inevitable and waited for his death...

It never came.

With another snarl the Night Fury bounded over his head right into the group of men that had been pursuing him. Lashing out with wing, claw and leg the dragon scattered the men maiming, tearing and killing those who came too close, occasionally it fired off one of its explosive blasts sometimes blowing a man to pieces. The creature managed to briefly fix its eyes on him and it gave a commanding roar, somehow Gobber understood it and in moments he was up and sprinting towards the forge as the most feared dragon destroyed any who tried to stop him.

Careening inside Gobber frantically looked around for a safe place to hide the six children, in one corner something moved and his breath caught once more.

It was another Night Fury but this one was a lot smaller and it cowered in the corner giving little distressed whines. It had to be a baby and it wasn't that hard to work out it was the baby of the one outside, how the two Night Furies had ended up on Berk and at what point they got into the forge Gobber didn't know but there was one fact that he was having great difficulty grasping.

A dragon had saved him.

You couldn't deny that was what the Night Fury had done. If it had merely been protecting its hatchling it would've attacked Gobber as well, instead it had fought off everyone attacking him and had even ordered him to keep running to the forge where its own child was hidden. Those were not the actions of some wild beast and the blacksmith decided upon a most dangerous gamble.

Crouching down gently before the terrified hatchling Gobber gently placed the wailing Hiccup beside it. The Night Fury backed away in fear but as soon as Hiccup was placed on the ground it gave a sniff and cautiously nudged him, Hiccup's cries lessened and eventually died away as he focused upon this new creature in front of him. The hatchling crooned and gently nuzzled boy and Hiccup gurgled and grabbed at the dragon's ear flaps.

The adult Night Fury staggered in from outside covered with cuts and gashes and with a length of wood protruding from its side. It hauled itself over to its young one and paused only briefly upon seeing the human baby with its own child, it collapsed beside them and instantly the hatchling rushed to cuddle up with its parent. Green eyes turned upon him and staring into them Gobber saw something he never thought he would.

Sorrow, grief, regret and guilt, four things Vikings never thought would be found within dragons. With one look the Night Fury said so much more than any amount of words could've done.

Sorrow at what was happening and all that was being lost, grief from the amount of death reigning in the village that day, regret that it couldn't protect its own child better by holding off all who would seek to harm it, and finally guilt that its own failure would mean the loss of Gobber and the six children they'd both tried so hard to protect.

Seeing all of this in that one, intense look, Gobber made probably the most dangerous decision of his entire life and elected to trust one of Berk's oldest and most dangerous enemies with the tribe's future.

Slowly the blacksmith placed each of the children beside the great beast, the Night Fury stared at him in amazement which then changed into understanding and finally to resolve. It gently furled its wings around them giving soothing croons and gentle nuzzles, slowly the children calmed and quietened as they sensed they were in the care of a parent and let themselves feel safe and protected. As the black wings fully surrounded them to shield them from the horrors beyond Gobber felt a single tear trail down his cheek as he slowly stood, he looked down at the dragon he'd placed so much faith in as he spoke to it, "Keep them safe."

The Night Fury nodded slowly and Gobber turned away, grabbing what weapons were left in the forge he strode out of the building and charged the enemy.

* * *

The battle was brutal and bloody, all of Berk was either killed or enslaved and the village reduced to little more than smoking rubble.

The new slaves were given their first horrific task straight away as they were made to gather the bodies of their own fallen to be burned in undignified mass pyres. From there they were driven onto ships in chains and beaten with rods and whips as their new masters revealed in their victory while shoving them down into cramped cargo holds to be transported to the Fortress.

It was still being built at that time and that was the main work of the slaves there and it wasn't long before they were working away upon Drago's twisted home, several died in those first few weeks from the beatings and poor conditions and the people of Berk were scattered between different slave groups as families were torn apart.

Gobber had been assigned to one of the forges from the very beginning and he spent day after day pounding out new weapons for his captors under harsh watch and brutal punishments. Often he wondered about the Night Fury and the gamble he'd taken with the children. Did they survive? Did someone find and adopt them? Did the Night Fury take them away and care for them itself or simply use them as food for its own young?

Despite his thoughts he always ended up deciding that he made the right choice and that the children were safe somewhere away from the Fortress, perhaps it was simply foolish hope that kept that belief alive but it was the thought that the children were out there somewhere that allowed him to endure his hellish life as a slave.

* * *

Years passed and Gobber kept on working in the forge, pushing himself day after day to keep going, to keep working, to keep surviving and eventually his resolve was rewarded.

He'd heard about Drago's new Titan by listening to a conversation between a couple of overseers and he'd luckily been in the right place at the right time when the boy had been brought to the island. He recognised the child the moment he saw him, the dark hair, stocky build and facial features screamed Jorgenson and he had no doubt the boy was Spitelout's son. Picked up fragments of conversation allowed him to discover that the child was apparently some sort of dragon rider and was one of a group, Gobber was hard pushed to not show any emotion when he heard that because he was sure that the other riders had to be the other kids and he nearly wept for joy knowing that they'd survived.

Then the battle happened and Gobber found himself fighting for his freedom along with everyone else. The battle was fierce and desperate with the blacksmith only escaping by rapidly repairing one of the fishing vessels and sailing away as the island collapsed behind him. As he sailed away he saw several dragons swoop overhead and they were low enough that he could see their riders and any doubts about the six children surviving Berk's destruction were completely swept away.

In that moment he vowed to find Stoick, who he was certain had survived the fall of the Fortress, and tell him that his son and nephew were still very much alive.

* * *

 _ **PS-A longer chapter than normal and an explanation of how the six kids survived and ended up sheltered in the wings of a Night Fury. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	14. Second Challenge

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to the next chapter. We're back with Alister and Icebolt this time around with a brief look in on Stoick and the Sanctuary. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Second Challenge**

Another small ship was also sailing the seas and in it was Stoick himself.

The fishing vessel Eret had been on had managed to fight its way back to the village with no more losses but the crew had been devastated at Eret being swept into the ocean. The moment Stoick knew he immediately ordered a search to be made for the young man in case he survived, as fast as possible the couple of small boats they had were made ready and set out on their search.

That had been two days ago.

Stoick knew that most of his men had decided that it was unlikely that Eret had survived the storm but none of them had mentioned it to him yet. He himself had no intention of giving up without any evidence which would confirm that the young man was dead, as far as he was concerned Eret was alive until it was proven otherwise. As they pushed in a northerly direction Stoick kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Eret and he noticed something in the sky.

A flock of dragons flying westwards at great speed.

Watching them he found himself thinking that they looked almost scared and he saw a variety of breeds flying above them. None of them showed any interest in the vessel beneath them as they kept going as fast as they could towards the west. Behind him Stoick heard the men muttering nervously and Alvin stood beside him, "Stoick, that's not a good sign. Dragons fleeing like that means that something's chased them away, something they can't fight."

Stoick frowned as he answered, "You're right Alvin, something is very wrong." He turned to the rest of the crew, "We'll keep pushing north but keep an eye on the east, we don't want to run into whatever scared the dragons if we can help it."

The men agreed and Stoick looked back to the east hoping that Eret wasn't near whatever was lurking there.

* * *

The room after the one with the pool was also filled with lava and Alister had discovered the purpose of the armour he'd put on.

It was heat resistant.

With the armour on he found the heat much more bearable than before and he could survive in the intense heat of his surroundings quite happily. It wasn't perfect and he still felt warmer than he'd like but he wasn't overheating and rapidly dehydrating letting him focus on the next challenge his test was providing.

The way forward was blocked by a massive pool of lava which he would not be able to go round, in this pool was a series of stone spires just big enough for one person to stand on leading towards the other side, this other side was dominated by an immense lava fall blocking off the other end and acting as a very dangerous barrier. Alister looked around trying to decide on the best course of action.

The ceiling was high enough for Icebolt to fly him over the lava so that wasn't an issue, instead he searched for a way to remove the lava fall which he was certain was blocking their way onwards. He spotted a raised square section of the ledge he was on that looked like it was supposed to be pressed down into the floor, he headed over and experimentally stood on it and felt it shift slightly but not actually press down. He thought for a moment then grinned and gestured to his friend, "I think ye might be heavy enough to press this Icebolt."

The Skrill gave a rumble of mock offence and Alsiter laughed, "I'm not calling ye fat and ye know it."

Icebolt chuckled and took his place on the button, immediately it pressed down into the floor and the lava fall on the other side of the pool stopped flowing revealing the ledge and door behind it. Alister punched the air in delight, "Nice! Let's get going!"

His friend roared in agreement and stepped off the button, at once the button rose up once more and the lava fall re-blocked the doorway. Alister's face fell, "Ye have to stay on the button to reach the door!? So how do we get across?" He remembered the stone pillars and gulped, "Oh boy."

Icebolt realised what he was thinking and objected straight away but his human friend shook his head, "Remember it's supposed to be a test, we can't expect it to be easy."

The Skrill growled worriedly and the teen grinned slightly, "I can do this Icebolt, don't worry. You just stay on that button as I make my way across to the ledge. Those pillars are too small for you to fly me to the furthest one and drop me off so I'll have to go the whole way by myself."

Considerably unhappy, Icebolt agreed with a great amount of reluctance and once again took his position on the button, as before the lava fall halted revealing the path ahead and Alister prepared himself. Gauging the distance he eyed the first pillar, took a deep breath…and jumped!

He soared through the air to land safely on the first pillar, he took a moment to regain his composure and then waved to his dragon friend who was watching anxiously. Focusing on the next pillar he once again gauged the distance and jumped landing safely once again, he focused once more, measured distance and leapt again reaching the third pillar with ease.

He continued this way unhurriedly taking each leap as he made sure he was going to reach it, he pointedly didn't think about what would happen if he got it wrong and merely focused on getting it right and eventually he only had the leap to the far ledge left. It was a little further away than the previous jumps but Alister was fairly confident he could still make it, the only other option was to make his way back the way he'd come which was certainly riskier than taking the final leap. As before he gauged the distance carefully, taking into account the longer distance, and jumped towards his goal landing on the edge of the ledge.

Then it crumbled.

Feeling the ground give way beneath him Alister swung his arms forward just in time to catch the edge leaving him dangling precariously above the lava, Icebolt roared in alarm but stayed put knowing that keeping the button pressed was what was stopping his friend from being melted by the lava fall. As the dragon watched on in terror Alister slowly began hauling himself up onto the ledge, bit by bit he pulled his body up with his hands threatening to slip and drop him towards a fiery death. Eventually he heaved his legs up and rolled onto the safety of the ledge and lay there panting, Icebolt heaved a huge sigh of relief and Alister raised his hand and waved, "Told ye I could do it."

The Skrill roared back his disapproval of that comment and the teen sat up and grinned before looking around the ledge for a way to get Icebolt across, spotting a smaller button he got up and ran over to stand on it and it pressed into the floor with a clunk. The boy called across to his friend, "I think ye can fly over now! I'm standing on another button which will likely halt the lava fall so ye can fly across."

The Skrill was uncertain but stepped off his button, as hoped the lava fall didn't begin flowing again and the dragon quickly flew over and practically threw himself at his friend checking that he was unharmed and nuzzling him in delight.

Alister laughed as he tried to push Icebolt off, "I'm fine, honest. Let's head on through the door."

Together the two friends moved into the next room.

* * *

Once the Bewilderbeast had finished explaining things to the three adults a hush filled the cave.

Finally Valka broke it, "Hiccup, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Cloudjumper rumbled in agreement and Hiccup looked down slightly guiltily, "We weren't sure how we could. The only ones who could sense this power in us were me and Snotlout and it hadn't been doing anything until now."

Snotlout added to his cousin's explanation, "As far as we know I've had it in me since before five years ago and Hiccup picked it up in the Fortress. It hasn't done anything nor affected anything in all that time until recently, even then all it's doing is making these marks appear on our hands and nothing else."

Valka gestured them towards her, "Show me."

Obediently the two boy's took of their gloves and held out their hands, Valka examined them closely, "I haven't seen a symbol like this before. It looks like some sort of crest but I don't recognise it."

She looked up at Cloudjumper, who'd also been examining them, and the Stormcutter shook his head confirming that he didn't know what it was either, Snotlout's father looked himself and was as clueless as the other two so he looked up at the Bewilderbeast. The dragon king nodded to confirm the assumption that he'd shared everything he knew and the Nightmare looked back at his youngest with a worried frown. Valka looked up at the Bewilderbeast as well, "What do we do?"

The dragon king was about to answer when one of the patrol dragons flew hastily flew into the cave, instinctively the two boys hid their marks as the Bewilderbeast asked for an explanation. The dragon's report was brief and laced with fear as he related news that they'd all hoped would never come.

The enemy had come to the Sanctuary.

* * *

 _ **PS-Drago's army has arrived! Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	15. Preparing

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This one is all about the preparations in the Sanctuary for dealing with the arrival of Drago's airships. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Preparing**

Aboard the _Dragon Eye_ Viggo eyed the icy walls of the Sanctuary.

Behind him Ryker was openly gaping as were several other members of the ship's crew. Though he didn't show it Viggo had to admit he was impressed, he'd heard tales of ice breathing dragons and the Bewilderbeasts but he'd never quite grasped the power they had and seeing the Sanctuary confirmed that his decision to not take Drago head on was very wise. Leaving the others to gape he began analysing the task ahead of them.

They currently only had the three airships plus their smaller counterparts for transport, though the airships were designed for combating dragons three of them wouldn't be enough to handle a nest of this size. The dragon's sheer numbers would overwhelm them eventually so they needed to be careful, the sea based fleet was on its way to assist but it was still at least a couple of days away so they had to do something in the meantime.

Dragons could be unpredictable when it came to defending their nests, sometimes they swarmed out to attack the intruders as soon as they got too close, other times they simply fled while yet other times they holed themselves up inside the nest and hid. At the moment the dragons were not attacking so it seemed they were hiding which would allow the airships to bide their time until the sea fleet arrived. As soon as they attacked the dragons would defend themselves so their best option right now would be to simply hold their position and simply stop the dragons from escaping, the only issue would be convincing Savage and the Twelve Titans of this course of action.

One of his crew ran up to him and saluted, "Commander Viggo, we've just received a message from the _Dragon Bane_. Lady Kadlin requests a strategy meeting to be held with regards as to our next course of action, she wishes for you to meet with her, Commander Savage and the other Titans aboard the _Dragon Bane_."

Viggo smiled slightly, as he'd expected Kadlin was not foolish enough to charge the nest without some sort of plan and she was taking advantage of the dragon's lack of action to formulate a strategy with the others. He turned to address the crewman, "Send a message to Lady Kadlin to inform her that I am on my way."

The man nodded and swiftly scurried away, following him out at a more measured pace Viggo gave instructions to Ryker, "I'm leaving you in charge brother. Do not mount an attack upon the nest but if a dragon tries to leave it you may engage and trap it, especially if it is bearing a rider. Otherwise maintain a perimeter around the nest."

Ryker nodded in understanding and Viggo left the bridge to head for the ship's hanger.

* * *

Within the Sanctuary a strategy meeting had already started within the Bewilderbeast's private chamber. Several dragons were in attendance as well as Valka and they were all discussing how best to deal with the threat that had appeared on their doorstep.

Most of the Sanctuary dragons didn't have much experience with war and they were largely for fleeing the Sanctuary as soon as possible, however there were a couple, such as Cloudjumper and Snotlout's father, who had been in battle before and they counselled against such an action. They argued that they didn't know exactly what the human's new creations were capable of and if they all fled without a decent plan then many of them would be caught or killed before they could escape. The Bewilderbeast agreed with them saying that, for the moment, they were better off remaining safely behind their home's defences until they knew more about the enemy. Some suggested sneaking the young ones and hatchlings off the island before any fighting actually started so they were at least safe and they gave it considerable thought but couldn't think of a way to do it without great risk to the young ones. In the end they decided that all the hatchlings and kids should be sent down to the lower caves for the time being but with the intention of moving them away from the fight if it became too dangerous. As the discussions continued they sorted out watch rotas so that there were guards at every entrance at all times as well as ways to improve the defences of the Sanctuary and established plans for the worst case scenario and emergency evacuation of the hatchlings if required. It was after these decisions that Snotlout's father suggested a bold idea.

Strike the enemy first and weaken them.

Many declared the suggestion as an insane idea but Cloudjumper saw that the Nightmare had a plan and asked that they listen to him. The Nightmare told them that he wasn't thinking of an all-out attack but of small quick strikes to deal a little damage before retreating. His plan was to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the humans and their ships by undertaking small raids, the more they learned the better they could plan and find a way to force the humans to retreat. He pointed out that simply waiting behind the walls of their home was only a stop-gap and the longer they waited the more humans that could turn up and increase their problem. By striking key targets they could force their foes into repairs and replenishments as well as weaken them making any counter attack less effective.

His explanation finished he looked to the Bewilderbeast for support, the dragon king looked thoughtful before giving an approving nod. He said that he would take charge of the military operations himself and placed domestic functions in the care of Fishlegs' mother and Valka.

Dismissing the rest the Bewilderbeast remained with Cloudjumper and Snotlout's father to decide which dragons would be best suited for their strikes.

* * *

In the rest of the Sanctuary preparations were well underway and dragons were already attending to the duties of checking food stocks, blocking unnecessary exits and shepherding hatchlings towards the lower caves. Fishlegs' mother and Valka had come straight from the war council and immediately started on their duties. Valka had sent the teens off to help in certain areas and they were spread throughout the Sanctuary. The twins were doing something constructive with their love of explosions and were blasting some of the entrances to close them off alongside Barf and Belch helping shore up the defences, Astrid and Fishlegs were helping shepherd the hatchlings down to the lower caves with the assistance of Stormfly, Meatlug was with several other Gronckles who were using their lava blasts to seal the debris blocking the entrances, Toothless and Hookfang were on watch duty while Hiccup and Snotlout were helping check on the food stocks.

A couple of the lower caves held stores of fish where it was much cooler and that was where the two cousins were currently. In normal circumstances there wasn't much stored here since the dragons usually hunted for what they needed when they needed it, however the Bewilderbeast had ensured that something was stored in case of an unprecedented food shortage or other such emergencies. At the moment there wasn't nearly enough to keep the entire Sanctuary going for long and Snotlout eyed the meagre worriedly, "There's no way we'll be able to feed everyone with this, I doubt it'll last until tomorrow."

Hiccup came out from another store cave as he answered, "I wouldn't be so sure Snotlout. You know that our parents and the other adults can go for a long time without food and water isn't a problem with all the fresh water pools in these caves. The only ones who need regular meals are us, the other teens, mom and the hatchlings. When you take into account what we eat then ration it you can make this pile last for quite a while."

Snotlout eyed the pile again, "If you say so…"

Hiccup smiled a bit, "It'll be fine Snotlout, from what I've heard your dad has already come up with an idea to help replenish our stocks."

"Really?"

The older boy nodded, "Apparently they've already picked out a couple of the tidal dragons and sent them off on secret fishing excursions through the undersea tunnel Grandfather uses to get out. The first ones should be back any minute."

As if on cue two Thunderdrums sauntered into the cave and added a good amount of fish to the pile. Snotlout watched them as they headed on out again with a smile, "That's a great idea! Of course my dad would be the one who came up with it."

Smiling at his cousin's obvious pride in his father Hiccup examined the slightly bigger fish pile, "Well the water supply is fine and the fish stocks are being replenished so it looks like everything is going fine here. We better go and let mom know."

Agreeing Snotlout followed him out of the cave in a bid to find Valka.

* * *

 _ **PS-So the Sanctuary is getting ready, next time well see the war council of Drago's army and there'll finally be an appearance from all of the Twelve Titans who've been considerably absent so far. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	16. Planning

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter. This one has the Twelve Titans in it as they formulate their strategy. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Planning**

A strategy meeting with the Twelve Titans was interesting to say the least.

As expected amongst such a varied group there were several different opinions on how to proceed. Some, largely led by Dagur, wanted to undertake an all-out attack, others, such as Kadlin and Nova, were more inclined towards the more sensible wait for back up approach while a few supported Erika's idea of waiting but undertaking small raids in the meantime to weaken the enemy. Viggo was staying fairly quiet as he observed how things played out, he was looking for weaknesses in the Titans and for any that might be worth approaching about turning against Drago so at the moment Dagur was pushing his suggestion of an attack.

"It will be easy to take this nest in one assault. There's the twelve of us, the airships and our crews, what could possibly stand against that?"

"A Bewilderbeast." Erika answered shortly, "If we attack now then the alpha will defend its nest. Even if we somehow win against it our forces would be decimated which would severely deplete our resources."

"Which is why it's better to wait." Leif added, "Attacking now is the just the sort of foolish plan we don't need."

Anthea groaned in annoyance, "The sea fleet is three days away, I can't wait that long for something to happen."

"Stop whingeing!" Arina snapped at her, "We need to wait and that's that."

"You're just saying that because it's Kadlin's idea." Akila cut in, "Personally I believe that Erika's plan of undertaking small strikes is the more tactical strategy."

Heather nodded in agreement, "It is the more viable option at the moment. We don't have a big enough force to take the nest right now but the other ships are three days away. If we wait we'll have a big enough force by the time they arrive but the dragons could do anything in that time. If they attack in force now we're going to lose but we can keep them contained and sort of controlled with smaller raids and we might lessen their numbers a bit. Besides our task isn't to conquer the nest but to keep it secure ready for our father's arrival so he can challenge the alpha himself."

Savage looked to Nova, "When is 'is Majesty supposed to arrive?"

The red head shrugged, "Not sure. He was apparently waiting for Saphia to complete something for him which is why he stayed behind at Dragon Island. He did say that we should focus on capturing the Dragon Riders, especially Snotlout."

Viggo's face didn't change but he took note of Nova's words, as expected Drago was trying to get to Snotlout before him but he knew how to use this strategy against him.

"I believe that I may have a suitable plan to properly fulfil our goals."

At Viggo's words those present focused their attentions on him and he explained his plan, "Lady Erika's suggestion does indeed have merit but it is focused on conquering the nest. As Lord Nova just pointed out our goal is capturing the Dragon Riders not conquering the nest itself so I suggest an addition to the plan." He leaned forward, "I suggest that we conduct a small raid upon the nest but we use it as a distraction to place a spy upon the island, someone who can remain undetected and gain valuable information such as where the Dragon Riders are in the nest, if they're even here, and what dragons are inside. All this will prove valuable and will allow us to form a more suitable strategy for when the other ships arrive. Once the spy is in the nest we can keep doing small raids to help distract the dragons from an intruder within their home though we must be careful to not force the alpha out too early."

There was a short silence after Viggo had finished speaking which Savage broke with an excited grin, "That's a great idea! 'Aving someone already in the nest will make capturing Snotlout for 'is Majesty really easy!"

Viggo knew that Savage would back his plan, for all his loyalty to Drago the former Outcast could be so incredibly thick and would always unknowingly help Viggo in his plans. The Titans were not so foolish but he'd left his suggestion open enough for them to alter it as they thought best and play into his hands all on their own.

Kadlin eyed him for a moment, "It is a good plan but we'll need the best spy we have on it."

"Of course." Viggo agreed, "I can suggest a couple for your consideration."

"There'll be no need for that." Erika abruptly answered, "I'm sure we all know who is best suited for the job."

"Me."

It was Newt who'd spoken and she stood, "I'll be able to get the information we need. When are we going to do this?"

They all looked to Kadlin who looked at Viggo, "Do you wish to answer that Commander?"

Viggo gave a small smile as he did just that. Inside he was grinning at how easily they'd fallen for his plan, the whole time they'd been talking he'd secretly signalling instructions.

When Newt snuck into the nest his own spy would be right with her and she wouldn't know it.

* * *

Out at sea the _Gertrude_ had been making good progress.

Aboard her Eret had been left with a lot to think about after Gobber had finished his tale of Berk's destruction. The revelation that Stoick's son was still alive somewhere was quite a big one and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about it.

He'd known that his adoptive uncle had once had a son but like Stoick he'd believed the boy to be dead a long time ago. Now he'd discovered that Hiccup was still alive and he knew his adoptive uncle would be over the moon to discover this and would want to see him again. Eret was overjoyed that the boy was very much alive but he also felt concerned about where that would put him in regards to Stoick. It was kind of a stupid thing to be worried about considering he was twenty but he'd been looked after by the man for fifteen years so the concern lingered.

As if he'd read his thoughts Gobber gave him a smile, "No need to worry laddie. Stoick isn't going to abandon ye."

Eret looked at him in surprise and started stuttering out a reply but the older man silenced him as he gazed at the horizon worriedly, "We've got a problem laddie."

Looking towards the horizon the younger man saw four ships approaching them and he recognised them as part of Drago's fleet. He glanced back at Gobber, "What are we going to do?"

The man had already begun dealing with the _Gertrude_ , "Don't panic laddie, we'll steer away from them and hope they're more interested in where they're heading than in us."

Going along with the plan Eret began helping him turn their boat away from the incoming ships but the winds weren't on their side making it difficult as Gobber muttered away to her, "C'mon my lovely lady don't let me down now."

She didn't give in to his pleas and all too soon the ships were baring down on them. Seeing it was too late now Gobber stopped his attempts and hung onto the boat, "Hold tight now lad, maybe they'll just pass us by."

Eret hung on grimly his eyes fixed on the approaching ships watching them get closer and closer, even Grump had awoken at their predicament and he also stared with fear as the _Gertrude_ 's tiny crew waited for what would happen next.

* * *

 _ **PS-Gobber and Eret's journey may have hit a major hitch. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	17. Ambush and Relations

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to chapter seventeen. The action picks up this time around and we see the first skirmish at the Sanctuary. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Ambush and Relations**

The ship's captain patiently waited for a report from his men on what they'd hit and if there'd been any damage. He thought it was unlikely because whatever had been in the ship's path seemed pretty small and the bump from the impact hadn't been that dramatic, it was probably some driftwood or other minimal debris.

He saw his First Mate running up and the captain looked at the man expectantly as he gave the report, "Captain, it seems we actually struck a small boat. Our hull is undamaged but the other vessel was smashed in two."

"Anything worth salvaging?"

The First Mate shook his head at the captain's question, "No sir. Whatever the boat was carrying was lost when we hit it. We did get a crewman from the boat though, he's roughly late teens or early twenties and fairly healthy going by the resistance he put up before we got him under control."

"Bring him to me."

The First Mate obediently trotted off and soon he brought Eret before the captain.

The young man's hands had been bound and he was still soaking wet from the ocean. The captain eyed him thoughtfully before finally nodding, "He can be added to his Majesty's slave workforce. Put him below in one of the cells and he can be properly put to work once this operation is finished."

As another crewmember came and took Eret down below the captain addressed the first mate once more, "Did we pick up anyone else from the boat?"

The first mate shook his head, "No sir, if there was anyone else on it then they were likely killed by the impact with our ship."

The captain simply shrugged, "Very well, carry on."

"Aye sir."

* * *

The hour of twilight was the dragon's friend as they began their first raid upon the airships.

It was to be a quick hit and run from several dragon pairs led by Cloudjumper and Snotlout's father. Each pair had been given a specific target and they were to fly in, strike and then retreat to avoid any casualties on their side. The idea behind the plan was to see what defences their enemy had and try and discover any weaknesses in their ships. The dragons had been handpicked by the Bewilderbeast himself who was remaining behind to protect the Sanctuary.

Slipping out of one of the few unblocked entrances the dragons flew low, using the many rocky outcrops that littered the beaches of their home. Silently they split into their designated pairs as they winged their way towards their targets and soon they were all in position. Cloudjumper was all set to give the signal to begin when without warning several nets began descending upon them nearly entangling several of the strike team.

Viggo had actually already consider the dragons attacking first as a possibility and he'd made sure that his men were always ready to combat any aggressors. The Twelve Titans had agreed with his foresight and the airships had spotted the dragons approaching leaving them with more than enough time to prepare.

Reacting quickly Cloudjumper roared out a retreat knowing that they didn't stand a chance without the element of surprise but the dragons soon discovered that their enemy had already begun an ambush.

From behind came Nova, Amber, Akila and Dagur and several dragon trappers. Nova and Akila instantly began using their spine shot ability aiming to knock a couple of dragons out of the sky, Dagur gleefully joined in with his Skrill lightning powers while Amber began using her Deathsong abilities to mesmerise them. Fortunately Snotlout and Hookfang had warned their family about the effects of the girl's song after experiencing it themselves five years ago so the Bewilderbeast had put a kind of mental protection over the strike team before they'd set out rendering it useless. Even so Amber could still immobilise dragons with her fast hardening gel making her a serious danger. The trappers had more net launchers and other projectile weapons which added to the ones coming from above.

The twilight hour became a scene of fire, weaponry and combat as the dragons tried to flee, sandwiched between the ground forces and the airships and Cloudjumper desperately looked for a way out. Snotlout's father then pulled off a dangerous gamble that gave them just that.

He suddenly dived downwards straight towards Dagur dodging the bolts of lightning that the Titan threw his way. Determinedly the Nightmare went at full speed and seeing the danger to their superior the trappers began focusing their attacks upon the dragon clearing the skies slightly. Dagur himself was laughing manically as he stood his ground and it was looking like the Nightmare was going to crash into the ground right on top of him. Then the ground broke apart beneath the Skrill Titan as Nova used his abilities of a Whispering Death to dig up from beneath him, as Dagur dropped down into the tunnel Nova continued upwards fully intending to strike the Nightmare in a surprise attack.

However this is exactly what Snotlout's father had been waiting for.

Right before Nova struck the dragon unleased his fire upon the Titan and it struck Nova solidly in the chest sending him flying back towards the ground. Seeing one of the Titans hit the trappers were distracted as they moved to aid him, Snotlout's father pulled out of his dive just before hitting the ground and he soared up and away to join the other dragons who'd flown off the moment the ground troops had been distracted.

Within moments they'd vanished back towards the Sanctuary leaving the enemy behind.

* * *

In the calm after the brief fight Erika turned to Viggo who'd been watching it from the bridge of the _Dragon Eye_ along with her.

"Well that went well."

Viggo merely gave her an amused look and she glowered, "I fail to see what is so amusing, our ambush was a failure and we caught no dragons."

Viggo gave a small smile as he gazed back out the window, "Catching dragons was not the aim of this ambush and none of the riders were present to make it worthwhile. I assure you that this plan was entirely successful despite what it appears."

"In what way?"

He turned back to face the Titan, "When our men spotted the dragons approaching I immediately asked Lady Newt to prepare, while the dragons were occupied with us she had more than enough time to slip onto the island unnoticed and find a way inside. As we speak she is likely mapping out the nest and discovering the very info we need."

Gustav and Leif were also present and the Speed Stinger Titan smirked, "You manged to turn the attack to our advantage and achieve the very thing we were still planning to do. That's kind of impressive."

Gustav's expression remained unreadable and Viggo had to admit he was having difficulty seeing the boy's angle, for all appearances he was loyal to Drago but he couldn't help but feel that the boy's reasons for following him were different from the other Titans. He got the distinct impression that the boy had a more personal reason for trying to capture the dragon riders. Gustav continued staring out of the window, "I'm surprised the riders aren't showing themselves, I got the impression they had more guts than this."

Leif snorted, "Don't tell me you think they'd face us openly? They must know they're no match for us so they're probably cowering in their hideout and leaving the dragons to do all the fighting." His smirk grew, "Though I suppose its normal for a child to overestimate their big brother…"

" _Half_ -brother!" the younger Titan snapped, "You don't have to keep bringing up my relation to Snotlout Leif."

"You get so put out when anyone mentions it Gustav." Leif grinned, "It must really suck having one of your relatives fighting on the other side, especially when they'd almost been on yours…"

"That's enough Leif!"

Erika's sharp interruption caused Leif to cringe slightly and he fell silent while Viggo thought about what had just been said.

Gustav was actually related to the very boy they wanted to capture, that was a very intriguing bit of information. The Titan had said half-brother so it was likely that Gustav was born to a slave while Snotlout must have been born before Drago conquered whatever tribe he'd come from. Drago had most likely created the conditions for Gustav to be born to the parents he'd chosen knowing that he'd be able to make the child a Titan. Viggo was curious as to whether Snotlout knew about his relation to Gustav and he made note of the family connection as something he could potentially make use of later.

Gustav had refocused his gaze back out of the window, "You might mock my relation to Snotlout Leif but don't forget that he was supposed to become our father's heir which suggests he has the potential to be more powerful than all of us." The boy narrowed his eyes, "I want to know why he didn't want to take the opportunity to have the power of a Night Fury five years ago and why he's siding with the dragons."

Though the boy didn't say it Viggo had a feeling that he actually wanted something else from his half-brother as well.

* * *

 _ **PS-So Eret's been captured, Gustav is aware of his connection to Snotlout and hostilities between the Sanctuary and Drago's forces have occurred. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	18. Third Challenge

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to a much longer chapter than normal. Most of it is back with Alister and Icebolt and there are a few more hints as to which franchise the third story in the trilogy will be crossing over with. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Third Challenge**

After the brief skirmish with the dragons the Titan's forces drew back slightly and remained on watch. Within the cabins of the _Dragon Bane_ Heather was with Dagur gently rubbing a cream into his back.

The two Titans were actual blood relatives and they were slightly closer to each other than to their fellow Titans as a result. This was why Dagur trusted his sister with administering the cream for the ongoing pains that his wounds from five years ago still gave him. Dagur squirmed slightly and Heather admonished her brother, "Stop moving about! I need you to stay still so I can get this cream on you."

The older Titan did as he was told but grumbled moodily, "I hate having to put on that stuff."

"Well unfortunately for you it has to be done. You know that your injuries from that Rumblehorn will always cause you discomfort and using your lightning powers only makes it worse. The cream is necessary to combat that."

Dagur growled, "That wretched dragon! One day I'll meet it again and I'll make it pay a thousand times for what it did to me five years ago!"

"I'm sure you will brother." Heather sealed the pot the cream was kept in, "That's it all done. Remember to rest for a bit to let it work properly. No going off and zapping one of our warriors like last time or I will get Amber to imprison you in her gel."

Dagur carefully pulled his tunic over his scarred torso, "Don't worry sister I hear you. Those dragons could attack at any time so I need to be rested up to fight them."

He gave her a quick smile before vanishing off to his own cabin.

* * *

In the depths of Lava-Lout Island Alister and Icebolt had encountered another potential issue in their test.

The path ahead split in two and both directions were very distinct in that one was only big enough for Alister and the other was Icebolt's size. It wasn't difficult to see the intention behind the split and both friends looked at each other before wordlessly heading to their respective tunnels.

After a very brief walk they both came to the same long room but they were still separated from each other by strong metal bars which ran the length of the room. Ahead of Alister the way was blocked by a stone door and he looked around for some kind of switch. A slam was heard behind him and he spun to see that another door had shut off the way he came in, Icebolt roared to say that the same thing had happened on his side so the only way out was forward. There was a dull rumble and a segment of the floor behind him slid into the wall revealing another pool of lava beneath it, the same had happened on Icebolt's side and it wasn't hard to guess what this challenge was.

Find a way forward or die.

Frantically Alister looked for a mechanism to open the way forward and he called out to Icebolt, "Is there any kind of switch on your side!?"

The Skrill answered by saying that there was only a strange metal pole and nothing else, another segment of the floor slid away adding to the pressure as Alister tried to work out what to do when all they had was a metal pole…wait!

"Icebolt, fire some of your lightning at the pole!"

Alister had discovered some of the properties of lightning through living with the Skrill and he'd noticed that it seemed to be attracted to metal for some reason. Maybe that was what was needed.

Icebolt was unsure but did as he was told, the teen heard the familiar sound of his dragon firing and soon there was a rumbling as the door slid into the wall. Running into the next section he heard another piece of the floor disappear behind him, Icebolt roared out that he was still trapped in the first section but Alister was already looking for a way to open the way for his friend. He spotted a button in the middle of the section and he instantly stood on it, it sank into the floor and another rumble told him the door on Icebolt's side had opened. The Skill called out that he'd found a pull chain in the roof and he was going to jump up to get it, a rattling sound and a clunk later the next door opened on Alister's side and the teen hurried through to hop onto the next button letting his friend move on as well.

They thought they had a bit more time now because they were well ahead of the disappearing floor but as if to keep the pressure up the entire floor of the last section disappeared at once making it dangerously close once more. Icebolt called out saying that he had six buttons on the floor in front of him but he didn't know which one to press, looking around Alister spotted carvings on the wall and he saw six symbols carved in a sequence. He called back to his friend, "Are there symbols carved into the buttons!?" the answer was a yes so the teen quickly called again aware of another section of floor vanishing behind him, "I have the right sequence carved here, I'll call out the buttons you need to press in order so just push the ones I tell you to."

There was another yes and Alister launched straight into it, "Sun!"

A clunk of a button.

"Tree!"

Another clunk as another section of floor vanished.

"Flame!"

A clunk again.

"Water drop!"

Yet another clunk of Icebolt pressing the button.

"Swirl!"

Another segment of floor disappeared even as the Skrill pushed the next button.

"Moon!"

Another clunk followed by a rumble as Alister's door opened and he ran through looking for another button only to find that there wasn't one. Instead there was a large square patch of sand and a large stick for writing in it, on the wall was a single sentence.

' _Sands of Time into the Sand_ '

Another section of floor disappeared and the teen knew his friend didn't have long, Icebolt roared at him and he quickly answered, "I know Icebolt. Don't worry I'll open the way for you!"

He rapidly assessed what he had, a patch of sand, a stick and a one line clue. He probably had to draw the 'Sands of Time' into the sand but how did you draw something like that?

Another floor segment vanished pressuring him even further. One more and Icebolt was gone! They were rapidly running out of time!

It then hit him…running out! Now he'd only ever seen one once when one of his father's men had shown it to him because Vikings didn't really use them but he knew that hourglasses were common elsewhere in the world and they used sand which was where the term running out of time came from. He had to draw an hourglass!

Grabbing the stick he rapidly drew the rough shape of an hourglass into the sand, immediately the rumbling of the door opening was heard leaving Icebolt moments to dive through it before the next bit of floor slid away. There was a clunk and the next door opened indicating that the Skrill had pressed the button to open it, Alister ran through and leapt onto the one in the next section giving both him and his friend some breathing room as they got ahead of the vanishing floor.

The next door had several carvings in it, the main one was a musical stave bearing a sequence of notes. For a moment Alister panicked, he didn't have a musical instrument with him and he certainly didn't know enough about music to sing the tune. Then he saw the buttons on the floor with each one bearing the symbol of the notes and he sighed with relief, he just had to push the buttons in the order indicated on the door.

Quickly he began hopping on the buttons in the correct order and they gave out their respective notes. He called out hopefully as soon as he was finished, "Is yer door open Icebolt?"

The Skrill roared out a no and Alister looked at the carvings in confusion, he'd pushed the right ones hadn't he?

He quickly pushed them again but still nothing happened and he growled in frustration, why wasn't it working? The floor was catching up to them so they needed to get through soon!

He suddenly noticed that there was more to the carvings and along with the musical stave was a picture of a person and a dragon. There was a line dividing the two figures and the human seemed to be standing on the buttons like Alister had been, however the dragon had its mouth open and above it was a single note like it was singing.

He needed Icebolt to sing the tune as he played it!

Aware of the rapidly vanishing floor Alister called out to his friend, "Ye need to sing the tune as I play it! I'll play it several times while ye listen, as soon as ye think ye've got it let me know and we'll try and play it together!"

Icebolt roared his understanding and Alister immediately began playing the tune, each time he finished he went back and played it again as the Skrill carefully listened. All the while more and more of the floor disappeared behind them and the teen hoped that his friend would get the tune in time.

After several repetitions Icebolt roared that he was ready and Alister prepared himself, "Okay, we'll start on the count of three. One…two…THREE!"

Perfectly in time Alister pushed the first note as Icebolt roared it, remaining completely in sync the two went through the tune as the dragon's voice combined with the notes from the buttons even as the floor slid away right behind them.

When they were finished there was a brief moment where nothing happened and then both doors rumbled open letting them into the passages beyond. They sprinted down them and came out into the same small room and Alister flung himself at his friend joyfully, "WE DID IT!"

Icebolt roared in happiness and then nuzzled his rider growling out his relief at him. Eventually the two friends separated and both looked at the other end of the room.

There stood a pedestal bearing a weapon and Alister spoke, "I guess that means we beat the test."

His friend rumbled in approval and the teen smiled as he began walking slowly towards it, "It's weird. It doesn't look like much but I feel like it has a lot more power than it appears to."

The weapon was indeed not much to look at, it for all intents and purposes seemed to be an ordinary spear. Its shaft was coloured a deep red and it held a single blue jewel at the base of the straight double sided blade. Despite being a spear Alister got the impression that it wasn't for throwing and was actually meant for close combat.

Carefully the teen reached down and gently took the spear, he could feel some sort of energy thrumming through it and once again he got the distinct impression that there was far more to the weapon than he could see.

A voice sounded around them causing Icebolt and Alister to instantly go on guard.

" _You have conquered the three trials and claimed the weapon. You might indeed be who I am waiting for._ "

"Who are ye!?"

Alister could hear the words clearly but he couldn't see any sign of anyone else.

" _That question I may answer but first you must prove to me that you can truly use the power of that weapon._ "

"And how do I do that?"

" _The Sanctuary of the Bewilderbeast is under attack. Go there and join your friends in the fight, if you have the power then the weapon will give you its strength._ "

"The Sanctuary is under attack! How do ye know?"

" _What I do or do not know is of no consequence boy. Prove to me that you have the heart and the strength to defend your friends and seek the ever greater challenge. Then I can truly train you._ "

The wall behind the pedestal slid downwards revealing a flight of stairs heading upwards.

" _Return to the surface and show me your strength._ "

With that the voice faded and Alister turned to his friend, "Well Icebolt, it looks like we're not done yet. I know it seems crazy but I think we can trust whoever was speaking to us." He looked up as if the person in question was somehow floating above them, "I don't know what it is but something tells me he's telling the truth and if that's the case then we need to get to the Sanctuary right away." He looked back at the Skrill, "Are ye with me?"

The dragon simply smiled and nodded and Alister returned it, "Alright then. Let's go!"

Together they ran up the staircase taking their newly won weapon with them.

* * *

 _ **PS-Alister has finally claimed the weapon and does anyone have any thoughts on what this trilogy will end up crossing over with? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	19. Spies and Knowledge

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. We're with the more subtle members of the cast this time around and we catch up with the teens once more. Thank you all for your continued support and to those who've suggested what fandom this story will cross-over with, I'm afraid you're all wrong so far but I'll be interested to see your other thoughts. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Spies and Knowledge**

Newt had to be especially careful while moving through the Sanctuary because although she was invisible with her Changewing powers dragons had other senses other than sight at their disposal.

She'd entered through a small gap left in one of the blocked up entrances after stealing past one or two of the watch dragons. She had to commend their defences, the dragons obviously knew their home well and had prepared well with well positioned sentries. In her time as Drago's main spy and scout she'd been in several nest both big and small but she'd never come across one that prepared as quickly as this one. Being in so many nest meant she'd long since realised that dragons were smarter than many in Drago's army would give them credit for so she wasn't that surprised they'd mustered some form of defence. However they didn't quite have the ingenuity of humans and she'd already spotted (and avoided) some clever traps that could only have been made by people indicating that the dragon riders were indeed here.

Now to locate them.

Finding the dragon riders was the main focus of her mission and in particular she was to find the boy Snotlout and kidnap him if possible, if not she was to return to the forces with as much information as possible so another plan could be formulated. To this end she thoroughly searched the upper levels of the Sanctuary finding what seemed to largely be caves for living in, many had what you'd expect to find in a dragon's cave but a few held other far more human items. There were a couple of old toys, odd items of clothing, one cave had several books while another had the most random odds and ends but there was one that had handmade bowls, plates a little section set aside as a kitchen, stone shelves that apparently acted as beds and several other tools and implements used by people. This made it very clear that humans lived in this nest as well and Newt wondered if maybe they'd headed lower down for protection.

Slipping out of the cave she headed downwards and carefully skirted the open space at the bottom of the main chamber that held the Bewilderbeast's pool. There were several tunnels leading down to the lower caves from the area and Newt headed for the largest assuming its size meant it was a more often used one. Pausing briefly at the entrance she listened for any indication that anyone was close before she stole off down into the lower caves.

* * *

Down below the main Sanctuary many of the hatchlings were getting restless.

They'd been there since not long after the airships had arrived and they were not that enamoured about being cooped up in the lower caves for that long. Being hatchlings they didn't fully understand the reasons for them not being allowed up into the main Sanctuary and were vocalising their desire to go up there and play quite considerably.

In one corner of one of the lower caves the teens were sat together trying their best to ignore the rowdy hatchlings who were rioting around the rest of the cave. Snotlout, Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs were attempting to play a game they'd created themselves using a carved stone tablet as a board and several pebbles as playing pieces while Ruffnut and Tuffnut were overdramatically moaning about dying of boredom.

"I can't take much more of this!" Ruffnut pronounced as she fell back with a greatly exaggerated flourish.

"I know dear sister." Tuffnut agreed with an equal amount of drama, "We've been trapped down in these dark caves for days with no hope of ever seeing the light of the sun once more!"

Fishlegs sighed as he moved one of his pieces on the board, "We've barely been down here a day guys. And we're not trapped we're just here because it's safer for us."

"And these caves really aren't that dark." Hiccup added, "Not with all the glowing plants that grow down here."

There was a particularly loud cry from a Nadder who was watching the hatchlings and the teens all swiftly ducked as some wayward flames shot by, Astrid recovered first and she called towards the offending Nadder in annoyance, "Watch it Spike! That's not how you calm hatchlings down!"

Spike was one of the girl's younger brothers and he growled apologetically before returning to the task of trying to calm the raucous babies. Astrid turned back to the others and huffed with frustration, "He gets frustrated way too easily. It's so annoying and I honestly don't know where he gets it from."

"Probably from his far too easily wound up older sister." Snotlout muttered quietly to Hiccup who tried his best not to giggle.

"What are you laughing at!?"

At Astrid's glare Hiccup swiftly composed himself and matched his cousin's innocent expression, "Nothing Astrid, nothing at all."

A hatchling ran through the middle of them scattering the pieces on the board and Fishlegs wailed in dismay, "I was about to win as well!"

Astrid slammed her hand down, "That's it! We're going to one of the other caves!"

Following her lead they gathered up the board pieces and headed off to one of the smaller caves after letting one of the dragons know where they were going and soon they were setting it up again in a much quieter atmosphere, the twins let up on their performance of woe (now realising their audience didn't actually care about it) and joined in.

Several turns in and now less frustrated Astrid broached a certain subject, "Hiccup, why have you and Snotlout been so secretive recently?"

Both boys in question froze briefly before shuffling awkwardly as Hiccup answered, "We've not been secretive."

The girl raised an eyebrow, "Yes you have and there's no point denying it, you two have been hiding something for a while now."

"No we haven't." Snotlout insisted, "We've not been hiding anything."

She gave him a disbelieving look as Fishlegs joined the conversation, "Then why do you both have gloves on? You used to rarely wear them at all yet now you both have them on all the time."

Hiccup opened his mouth to no doubt give an excuse but Astrid interrupted him before he could, "We know you're hiding something so don't bother trying to convince us otherwise." She softened her tone, "We just want to know what because there's never been something you haven't wanted to tell us before."

Hiccup and Snotlout remained silent as they shared a look and a silent discussion before both giving resigned sighs knowing that their friends would not let up until they told them. Hiccup slowly took off his gloves and Snotlout followed suit, they then held out their hands for the others to see as the older cousin spoke, "A while ago this mark started appearing on the back of our hands, we don't know what it is and not even Grandfather has seen it before."

"All we know is that it's possibly connected with five years ago." Snotlout added, "When I was taken before Drago he said that we both seemed to share some form of power which he thought was what allowed us to take the powers of an Alpha dragon. Now I could sense that power in him when I first met him but I couldn't sense it in Hiccup until after we'd escaped. Now we don't know how but our best guess is that he picked it up when he smashed the artefact and Grandfather agrees with us."

"And you think that this mark is something to do with that power." Fishlegs stated, "But why would the symbol start showing up now? You've had this power inside you for five years, maybe longer."

Ruffnut cut in excitedly, "Can you do anything cool with this power? Like throw fireballs!"

"Blast things with lightning!" Tuffnut added.

"Breathe fire!"

"Control people with your mind!"

"Or blow anything up with a single touch!"

"NO!" Hiccup yelled across them before they got too carried away. He then spoke in a calmer voice, "As far as we can tell we can't do anything with this power, it's just there." He sighed, "We don't even know what it is or where it actually came from, ever mind what it can do."

Astrid gently took his hand and lightly traced the mark with her finger, "It's really strange, it looks like a crest of some sort but it's nothing like any of the ones Valka taught us about. I don't think it's even a Viking symbol."

"It most likely isn't." Snotlout responded, "The only other thing we can tell is that this power is really old, likely older than Vikings, so the symbol is probably very old as well."

Astrid let Hiccup's hand go and sat back, "Do you think this is the reason that Drago's forces are attacking now?"

Hiccup nodded, "Yes. We know that he also had this power so the chances are the same symbol has appeared on his hand as well."

Snotlout looked at the mark on his hand, "Whatever the case, I can't help but feel that we're dealing with something that has been going on for a very long time and there is way more to this than anyone knows."

* * *

The teens didn't know it but a seventh person had been listening in on their conversation and it was someone they really didn't want to know what they'd been talking about.

Viggo's top spy.

He'd slipped into the Sanctuary at the same time as Newt but only Viggo knew he'd done so. His mission had been very similar to hers but his master had given him more leeway to act as he saw fit and change the plan if he felt it appropriate. Unlike Newt he'd headed straight for the lower levels knowing that it was the most likely place the riders would be, especially if they were children. He'd slipped past the dragon sentries with little effort, his great skill making such a task easy even without the ability to become invisible, and moved on in search of the boy Snotlout. He'd found him and the other teens and had placed himself in position to spirit the boy away unnoticed when the time was right and heard their entire conversation which caused him to alter his plan slightly.

The information about the boy's hidden power and the mark on his hand was exactly the kind of knowledge Viggo wanted but the fact that the other boy, Hiccup, held the same power was of great interest to the spy. It was highly likely that Drago and his Titans didn't know about Hiccup holding the same power as well, according to the two boys it had appeared in him after he'd smashed the artefact five years ago meaning that Drago wouldn't have sensed him carrying it. They knew about Snotlout and that was why Viggo wanted to get his hands on him first but the spy saw another, more devious route that he knew his master would agree with.

Let Drago get Snotlout while they took Hiccup.

He could easily kidnap Snotlout but it would only be so long before Drago discovered that Viggo was holding the boy captive instead of handing him over. Hiccup on the other hand didn't hold as much interest to the king so they could keep him hidden far more easily and Viggo could use him when the time was right.

The spy knew his master well and he was certain that this was exactly the kind of plan his master would've come up with had he been present so the spy changed his priority.

At the right moment he'd kidnap Hiccup.

* * *

 _ **PS-So plans change as forces begin to move together. It is now getting very close to the main event as it were and there is a big surprise in store in the next couple of chapters. Please let me know what you thought and what cross-over this'll become and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	20. Leads and Plans

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter. We're back with Eret this time around and we see things build up more at the Sanctuary, the big event is coming up soon and not long after that I'll reveal what this trilogy will be crossing over with. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Leads and Plans**

Eret sat in chains in the hold of the ship staring miserably at the wall.

He'd been left there alone after he'd been pulled from the wreckage of the _Gertrude_ and he'd mourned his lost friend. He hadn't known Gobber very long at all but he'd quickly grown fond of the eccentric man who'd been wandering in search of his friend for five years with a lazy Hotburple as a friend. He felt Gobber's loss keenly as if he'd known the man for ages and he'd even begun to get over his initial wariness and started to like Grump as well.

Now though both were gone and he was about to become a slave once again.

He still bore the scars from all the years he's spent enslaved last time and he hated the fact that fate seemed to have decreed that he should receive more. He'd been too young to truly remember what it had been like to be captured but he remembered his fear at not knowing what awaited him. Now though he could say he felt even more afraid because he did know what was coming, he knew the agony of the whip, the soul-crushing toil, the constant fear that you'd be the next one to join the numbers of those who'd died in slavery and the cruelty of overseers who'd beat and punish you just because it felt like it. He knew that was all that was coming and it was far scarier when you knew what awaited you.

A light scuttling briefly attracted his attention but he soon dismissed it as a rat or something. Then there was more scuttling and a voice that he didn't think he'd hear again, "Here ye are laddie."

Eret openly gaped as Gobber grinned at him happily, "But…how?"

"Grump of course." The man answered, "The lazy brute pulled me away from the wreckage and around the ship before they saw us, unfortunately he lost ye as we were struck or he would've pulled ye away as well. We were glad when we discovered that ye'd been pulled out alive and snuck aboard to rescue ye."

Gobber fiddled briefly with Eret's chains and they fell off causing the young man to gape even more, "How did you do that?"

"I'm a blacksmith laddie." Gobber stated, "I know how locks work. I couldn't use this little trick as a slave because there were always too many guards around for me to make an escape even if I slipped the chains." He gestured to Eret, "Now hush lad and let's get out of here."

Falling silent Eret followed Gobber through the hold and down to the deck below, Grump was waiting for them and the Hotburple ambled up to Eret happily. The young man grinned and patted the dragon on the head, "Good to see you Grump." He then turned to Gobber, "How are we going to get off the ship?"

Gobber had been fiddling with a nearby metal door and he kept working as he answered, "Oh we're no leaving this ship laddie, we're going to take it."

"What! How? There's only three of us!"

The man grinned, "This ship has one glaring weakness that will certainly swing things greatly in our favour."

Eret frowned in confusion, "What weakness."

Gobber's grin grew wider, "This ship has a particular cargo…" the door he'd been fiddling with swung open, "…that is very volatile."

Through the door stepped a particularly unhappy Speed Stinger.

* * *

Out to the west, Stoick's boat was still continuing its search for Eret. However it had been several days now since the storm and even Stoick was beginning to lose hope that the young man had survived.

Most of his men felt the same way but it was Alvin who finally approached his friend, "Stoick, I know ye don't want to hear this an' I certainly don't want to be saying it but it's been days. If 'e'd survived we would've found 'im by now."

Stoick closed his eyes briefly and sighed before answering, "You're right Alvin." He turned to his crew, "Turn us around, we're heading home."

The crew responded with sad nods and silently set about their work. A heavy, depressed mood hung over them all as they knew that if Stoick was heading home then he believed that Eret was gone.

Stoick turned away and leaned on the boat's side and Alvin placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry Stoick."

His friend merely nodded and Alvin slowly moved away to help the others and give his friend some privacy.

Eret was gone and Stoick couldn't believe that he'd lost his second son as well. First Hiccup had been taken from him fifteen years ago by Drago and his army and now Eret had been taken from him by cruel fate and the wrath of the elements. How could he outlive both boys? One ripped away before he could even truly live and the other taken at the very start of his adult life, both travelling to Valhalla long before they should've done.

He felt the tears brewing in his eyes but he stubbornly held them back, he would properly grieve once they were safely home and he would ensure that Eret was given the proper ceremony even though they had no body. Lifting his head he looked out eastwards over the waves as he wiped the tears away and something caught his eye.

A dragon.

It was flying straight for their boat but it was flying alone and Stoick was unsure about what they should do, he remembered the dragons from the battle five years ago and how they helped them all escape but he also remembered Drago's battle dragons and how occasionally slaves would be left to be torn to shreds by the beasts. This left him conflicted on what he should think about them, he was erring towards preparing to fend off the beast when he suddenly recognised it.

It was the same Rumblehorn that had saved Eret's life five years ago.

Stoick had only briefly seen the dragon then but he remembered what it looked like very well and he had no doubt that this was the same dragon. As such he waved his men down when they noticed the Rumblehorn and prepared to drive it away, none of them looked happy at the idea but they obeyed and waited along with Stoick to see what the dragon would do.

It flew closer and closer to the ship and Stoick was about ready to change his mind and let the crew drive it away when it stopped flying and hovered in the air beside them. The Rumblehorn looked down as Stoick looked up and the two of them locked eyes and stared at each other for several long moments.

Eventually the dragon gave what appeared to be a confirming nod and it turned and flew slowly away, it went a short distance before hovering once more to look back and roar at the boat. Alvin spoke quietly to Stoick, "It wants us to follow it."

Stoick nodded, "Aye you're right. It's trying to take us eastward."

"We saw all the dragons fleeing away from the east." Alvin reminded him, "Whatever is 'appening there is not good. Should we really follow a dragon that direction?"

Stoick stayed silent as he gazed at the Rumblehorn which was still waiting for them, then he nodded firmly, "Aye, we should."

"What!?"

Stoick explained his thinking to his friend, "It may be foolish but I'm willing to bet that if trouble is brewing eastwards then we'll find Eret right in the middle of it. For all we know whatever is going on could be the reason we haven't found him yet and I will not be satisfied until I know if that's the case or not."

Having known Stoick for as long as he had Alvin could tell when his friend's mind was made up and wouldn't be swayed by anything, he sighed, "Ah well, to the east we go."

Stoick smiled at him before giving orders to his crew, "Everyone get to work! We're following that Rumblehorn eastwards!"

* * *

Eleven of the Twelve Titans were gathered in the meeting room of the _Dragon Bane_ a couple of days after the first skirmish when Newt appeared among them.

The Changewing Titan had completed her scouting out of the Sanctuary and had decide it to be more prudent to return to her siblings with her information. Despite her sudden materialisation none of the Twelve were startled for they'd long grown used to her ways. As she took her seat at the conference table Kadlin spoke to her, "Welcome back Newt. What did you learn?"

As always Newt was straight to the point, "There are a great many dragons and the nest is riddled with caves and tunnels. Many of the dragons have moved down to the lower caverns along with all their young, including the dragon riders."

Akila bounced up and down in glee, "So they are all there, I knew it!"

Leif snorted, "So they are hiding after all." He smirked at Gustav, "I guess your _half_ -brother doesn't have the courage you think he does."

The younger Titan's Monstrous Nightmare powers flared in anger and flames danced around his fist, "Shut it Leif!" He looked to Newt, "How many riders are there?"

"Seven, including the woman." She answered, "The boy Snotlout is there and apparently the woman is actually his aunt, or at least that's what he calls her. He also refers to one of the Monstrous Nightmares as his mother and another as his father. There is also another one called Hookfang he seems to be very close to."

Gustav frowned at the information and went quiet as Heather leaned forward, "He thinks that a pair of dragons are his parents?"

Nova tapped the arm of his seat thoughtfully, "If I remember correctly he mentioned something about a dragon called Hookfang being his brother, in fact he seemed to believe that the dragons were his family."

Leif couldn't resist another dig at Gustav, "Sounds like you won't be having any happy family reunion Gustav. Your brother's clearly replaced his actual family."

Erika rolled her eyes at him, "Like we all haven't done that moron."

Anthea had been tapping the table top impatiently and she leaned back with a moody sigh, "Never mind what he thinks about dragons! Let's just go and kidnap him already!"

Akila agreed with her, "Anthea's right, it doesn't matter what he considers dragons to be. We just need to capture him for our father so let's go do it."

"It's not that simple." Kadlin responded, "That boy is probably well guarded making it difficult to take him. Newt may be able to make herself invisible but even she wouldn't be able to sneak into the nest again, find the boy, suitably restrain him and carry him back out of the nest without one of the dragons or riders noticing. Doing so would bring the whole nest down onto our heads and we can't fend off that many dragons at once with the forces we have."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Heather asked.

Kadlin gave a small smile, "Not that long ago I received word from our sea ships, they're going to arrive tomorrow at dusk but I requested them to arrive a little later when it's fully dark. I believe we should hold off any kidnapping attempt until those ships arrive, when they do they'll sail straight into position under the cover of darkness and bombard the nest. We'll join the assault from the air and that should be more than enough to occupy the dragons. While the attack is underway Newt will lead a small team of us Titans into the nest, their infiltration should go unnoticed because of our attack and their goal is to locate and capture Snotlout. They should aim to be leaving the nest with the boy at dawn, no doubt taking him will cause the Alpha dragon to come out of the nest to join the fight and it'll be to our advantage for it to appear then. It is crucial that the Alpha doesn't join the fight until dawn."

Gustav frowned, "I get that we're no match for a full Alpha, even with the sea ships but why is it appearing at dawn to our advantage?"

Kadlin's smile grew, "Because I've also received word from our father. He will be joining us at that time."

Dagur clapped his hands gleefully, "So the Alpha will appear just in time to lose to our father! That's brilliant Kadlin! We'll get Snotlout and conquer the nest in one attack!"

Nova nodded his approval, "That is indeed a good plan. Perhaps we should now flesh out the finer details to make sure everyone knows their role."

Kadlin leaned forward, "That is what I was planning to do, however there is one other thing that you must all know." She tapped the table to emphasise her next words, "Viggo Grimborn must not know about either the kidnapping team or our father's arrival. That man has been working towards his own ends from the very beginning and he will try and turn this to his advantage. Savage is the only one out with us Titans who can know the full extent of this plan, everyone else must believe we are staging an assault to lessen the dragon's numbers. Do we all understand?"

There were nods from around the table and Kadlin smiled, "Now then. Let's sort out who'll be on the kidnapping team."

* * *

 _ **PS-So plans are set and the big fight is coming. Please let me know what you thought and if you have any theories on what this story is going to crossover with.**_


	21. Before the Break

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This one is the breath before the plunge, the calm before the storm and any other such metaphor you'd care to use. In the next chapter the battle will appear as all the various players arrive in different capacities. You also get a couple more very small hints as to what crossover this will become so keep your eyes peeled and try and guess it if you can. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Before the Break**

Viggo Grimborn was not nearly as in the dark as the Titans thought.

He had many eyes amongst Drago's forces and word of the Titan's plan and the impending arrival of Drago himself had reached him. It had come via a rather convoluted route and so he wasn't entirely sure who'd given the information up initially but he knew that it was genuinely true. He'd also received a coded message from his spy who was still inside the Sanctuary which detailed the slight change to the original plan. Once again his most loyal operative had done him proud and Viggo was happy for the man to take the boy, Hiccup, and leave Snotlout for the Titans. If Hiccup held the same kind of power then he could try and turn the boy to his side and he already had some ideas of how best to do that.

At the moment the Titan's plans coincided quite happily with his so he was content to leave them to their own little schemes. Once their plan began the dragons would be down upon them like a ton of bricks so he was currently doing the rounds of the _Dragon Eye_ making sure that everything was ready for the upcoming battle.

As he expected the airship was fully prepared for battle and all its various bola launchers, ballistae and cargo holds were all loaded and prepped. All of his crew were equally ready and were resting in shifts so the various post were manned at all times. Men saluted as he strode past and eventually he made his way to the bridge.

The bridge had a large window at its front and through it Viggo could see the icy walls of the Sanctuary. It took on an elegant orange hue as the day wound down towards dusk and it gleamed in the dying light. When darkness came the ships would move into position and then the attack would begin marking the start of several plans.

He patiently waited.

* * *

In the depths of the Sanctuary Viggo's spy kept close tabs on Hiccup.

Viggo's answering message had informed him of the Titan's plan and ordered him to wait until it began before kidnapping the boy. The spy agreed fully with his master's wish so he simply stayed close ready to act at any moment. He aimed to take Hiccup before the Titan's arrived to take Snotlout, preferably he'd be on his way out of the Sanctuary while they were still searching it for their target. That way he minimised the chances of him meeting the Titan's as he left, it was a lot harder to remain stealthy when you had a captive so if they met the Titans may well see what he was doing and that wouldn't assist Viggo's plans in the slightest.

He also planned to take the boy while there were fewer dragons and other riders around but that would naturally be difficult while the nest was under attack so he would have to time things carefully. If he took the boy just before the attack then he would be less guarded making the actual capture easier, then he could hide until the assault was well under way and then slip out with the boy then. This would mean that it would be far easier to get a hold of the boy but he wouldn't be gone long enough for anyone to notice before the attack started diverting attention elsewhere.

He inwardly smiled. While the Titans were busy wasting time fighting their way through alert and aggressive dragons he'd use the distraction they were causing to slip out unnoticed with his captive.

Aware of the dusk outside he positioned himself ready to pounce on his unsuspecting victim. The time for his move was coming and he knew from prior observations that Hiccup would soon be on his own with no one around to see him being taken.

His eyes fixed firmly on his target he readied himself.

* * *

Toothless stood on watch duty alongside Hookfang keeping a sharp eye on the three airships.

Both dragons had only just come onto duty a short while ago and they'd spent much of the day with their brothers. Toothless had been slightly distracted because he occasionally caught an unfamiliar scent while he was with Hiccup, it quickly vanished making the the Night Fury almost think he'd imagined it and when he mentioned it to the others they all said they hadn't noticed it. Regardless it concerned him and he brought it up again with Hookfang.

The Nightmare smiled slightly and joked that maybe he was too on edge because of the airships and was imagining things. Toothless smiled back and agreed and the two lapsed into silence.

Eventually Hookfang spoke quietly and asked what he thought about what was happening to Hiccup and Snotlout.

Toothless remained quiet for a moment, they hadn't actually spoken about it with just each other at all as it only really got mentioned when one of the boys or someone else brought it up. In all honesty Toothless wasn't sure what he thought of it all, it was very concerning but as had already been said it didn't actually appear to be having a physical effect on either of the cousins. The fact that other people seemed to be interested in their apparent power was not a good thought and Toothless often worried about what such people would do to get their hands on his brother and cousin.

These thoughts on both their minds the two dragons kept watch.

* * *

In his private chamber the Bewilderbeast was noticing something very concerning.

The darkness that was lingering behind their foes was getting more active. Until now it had been fairly unnoticeable as it skulked out of sight but it was now beginning to get more active and almost excited. He didn't know what plans it held but they were going well if its greater presence was anything to go by. This assault on his home was no doubt connected to the darkness but he got the feeling that not even the humans standing against them knew that it was using them. Something was manipulating Drago's forces from the shadows and he was sure that Drago himself was an unwitting pawn in another's dark machinations.

Now that it was more apparent the Bewilderbeast could sense a lot more about this evil and like the power inside the two boys it was very old, not quite as old as what the boys carried but still from long before their current era. He did not know what it was but it must have something to do with the power that Hiccup, Snotlout and, if Snotlout was right, Drago held. It was becoming clear that this was now far beyond merely the safety of the Sanctuary and he was certain that something was coming which would affect the fates of all involved.

As the dark of night drew in the Bewilderbeast worried about what was approaching.

* * *

With the sun setting behind Stoick's ship sailed closer as it was led by the Rumblehorn.

With each passing moment Stoick became more and more certain that he would soon find Eret. He couldn't say what gave him such a feeling of confidence but it was far more than just a vague hope. He also felt that he would discover far more than he thought and that desire helped him press onwards into the unknown.

Guided by a dragon Stoick approached.

* * *

Alister was silent as he flew upon Icebolt towards the Sanctuary.

The moment he left the depths of Lava-Lout Island he immediately found Shadow and the Red Death and told them about the voice he'd heard when he recovered the spear. Both dragons agreed with his decision to listen to it and he, Icebolt and Shadow headed straight for the Sanctuary.

Before they'd left the Red Death had warned Alister that there was far more to this than simply the work of Drago and that she felt that this was only the beginning of a far larger fight. She told him that when he reached the Sanctuary and the battle he had to trust his weapon. Its power would not unlock for anyone and such weapons could be very picky about who could wield them, by retrieving it he'd proven he had the will to bear it but he still had to show that he had the potential and the spirit to receive its true capabilities. Only then would he have shown that he could be the warrior worthy of it.

Alister remembered her words but as he got closer to the Sanctuary he began to think about his friends.

He hadn't seen them for five years but he was still worried, were they unharmed? Were they holding out? Were the dragons okay? These thoughts bounced about his mind as Icebolt continued flying, the Skrill was just as concerned and he flew as fast as he could to reach their destination.

Under the light of the rising full moon, they flew on into the night.

* * *

Drago gazed out upon the rapidly darkening sea.

They were making good progress towards the nest and he was going to arrive exactly on schedule. As always he thrummed with anticipation at his upcoming fight with another Alpha dragon, he didn't know why but he felt that this one would prove to be a mighty opponent and he relished the thought of facing off against one equal to him.

Not only that but he'd soon have Snotlout back under his control and he looked forward to finding out if the boy did indeed have the same mark upon his hand that he did. He was certain that something great was about to happen and he and the boy were at the heart of it. In a way it made great poetic sense, on one hand you had him the man who took the powers of a Bewilderbeast and could destroy the mightiest dragons alone and on the other you had Snotlout who'd lived with the dragons all his life and was part of a group who called them family. These two radically different perspectives now set to meet once more and this time things would be far more spectacular than five years ago. The boy may not have become the Night Fury Titan then but he still held power and soon that power would meet his own and he was not going to ignore its call.

Pulled by a something he did not truly understand, Drago followed the darkness.

* * *

 _ **PS-So what is the evil that is working behind the scenes and what great thing is about to be set in motion? I hope to hear your thoughts and I'll hopefully reveal more soon.**_


	22. Break

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the start of the battle. It's going to last for a few chapters but it also is the final act of this part of the trilogy as everything comes together for the third story. Soon the fandom this story is going to crossover with will be revealed but until then keep guessing. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Break**

In the dark of the clouded night a boulder struck the Sanctuary shattering the uneasy quiet.

The moment the first missile struck another followed and the dragons reacted accordingly. The fighters swarmed out of the nest in search of the vessel that had attacked them and within moments the battle blazed to life as Drago's ships combatted the Bewilderbeast's dragons. Nets and bolas filled the sky along with jets of flame, small boats launched from the bigger ships and landed on the beach allowing troops of warriors to swarm onto the island. Commanded by Snotlout's father a group of dragons swooped down to meet them and claw met steel upon the shores of the Sanctuary. Others flew over still landing vessels and set light to them forcing the occupants to abandon ship and plunge into icy waters. Cloudjumper led the aerial dragons in an attack upon the airships and they dived and dodged as they sought to cause some damage.

Unfortunately they were thinly spread because Drago's forces now had the island surrounded. The four sea vessels had come up under the cover of darkness and had positioned themselves at key locations along with the airships, each ship's area of effect overlapped with another making it so no part of the island's circumference was uncovered. This meant that the dragons now had a total of seven separate targets, not including the various smaller landing ships, and they didn't have enough decent fighters to cope with that. The only option was to form small groups lead by one experienced fighter but those were very few and far between in the peaceful Sanctuary.

This is exactly what the Titans had been counting on and it swung the battle greatly in their favour.

* * *

In the middle of the fight one of the _Dragon Bane_ 's smaller landing ships was being piloted skilfully through the melee of fire and projectiles.

Gustav had the helm and he was taking great pleasure in Leif's discomfort as they narrowly missed yet another blast of dragon fire. Amber was giggling with glee while Nova simply hung on determinedly and Newt remained impassive as ever. A dragon nearly flew through them and Leif yelped in alarm as it zipped just over the ship's balloon, "Watch where you're flying Gustav! Are you trying to kill us all!?"

The Nightmare Titan just grinned amicably at him, "Just sit back and enjoy the ride Leif. We'll get there no problem."

More fire blazed towards them and Gustav casually steered the ship out of the way and it shot past harmlessly. By this point Leif had covered his eyes but Newt was looking out of the window behind them, she turned round and spoke like she was announcing something as normal as the weather, "We seem to have three dragons following us, I assume they're trying to blast us out the sky."

There was a slight whimper from Leif and Amber also looked back, "Oh, so there is." Her tone was equally unconcerned and she spoke to Nova, "Do you think we should stop them?"

Nova climbed towards the back of the ship calling back to Gustav as he went, "If we use some of the emergency systems can you still control this thing."

The boy's reply was almost cheery, "I'll be able to no problem. If I could I'd use those systems all the time I would."

His answer satisfied Nova and the Titan crouched down by a certain hatch near the back of the cabin, Leif uncovered his eyes, "What systems? What are you doing?"

The grin was evident in Gustav's voice, "Nova's just about to make us go a bit faster."

"Faster!"

Nova cut into the conversation, "You ready Gustav?"

"Ready."

"Okay then, on three."

He began to count down and Leif gripped the edges of his seat in fear while Amber bounced in excitement.

"Three…Two…One…BOOSTING!"

He breathed his fire breath at full power into the hatch, it travelled down and out the back of the ship after being magnified by Saphia's system and the ship shot forward as its propulsion greatly increased in force.

The dragons were left in shock as the ship they'd been chasing suddenly increased speed and escaped them, Gustav expertly steered it around towering rocks and fierce dragon fire with concentration etched onto his face. Amber whooped with joy at their speed while Leif screamed in terror, Newt seemed completely unconcerned as she casually redid the braid hanging down the side of her face. The Sanctuary walls loomed before them and Gustav saw an opening, "We're heading in guys!"

He steered the ship straight towards the opening and Leif's scream went up several octaves as the icy walls rapidly approached. In seconds the opening was upon them and the ship powered through it with barely inches to spare and it skidded to an incredibly bumpy halt taking out a couple of dragons as it did so. It then exploded in a glorious inferno of fire and the five Titans seemingly leapt from the flames and skilfully landed on the ground completely unharmed. Looking back at the inferno that was their ship Amber remarked casually, "I don't think this is what Kadlin had in mind when she told us to infiltrate the nest unnoticed."

The Titans had arrived.

* * *

Elsewhere Toothless and Hookfang had been caught up defending the Sanctuary.

They'd been on one of the sides where Drago's forces were landing by sea and were dealing with the landing boats. Swooping low and using the night to his advantage the Night Fury was sinking boats with one shot as he flew in, fired off a plasma blast and then vanished again into the dark. Hookfang was being slightly more dramatic and he'd teamed up with Barf and Belch to take down boats together, the Nightmare would fly over spewing flame with his fire coat alight and while the men were distracted by him Barf would breathe a layer of gas unnoticed by the humans around the ship which Belch would then light causing the hull to explode. Both tactics were proving quite successful and the three dragons were defending their section quite well.

Suddenly Toothless faltered and looked back towards the Sanctuary distractedly, he didn't notice the bola spinning towards him and it was only the timely intervention of Hookfang's fire that stopped him being ensnared. The Nightmare roared at his friend to keep his mind on the fight but Toothless claimed that he sensed something wrong, that something had happened to Hiccup.

He told Hookfang to continue defending the area with Barf and Belch before flying off back towards the Sanctuary to find Hiccup. He wasn't sure exactly why but his brother needed his help right now.

* * *

In the Sanctuary Viggo's spy had been very successful.

As expected Hiccup had ended up alone not long before the attack started. Snotlout had been with him but as night fell the younger boy always went back to the Monstrous Nightmare he called 'mom' and Hiccup sat by himself for a bit before joining the others in the main lower cave. It was but the work of the moment to hit the boy with a tiny dart laced with a sleeping potion that would knock him out for some time. Once the boy was unconscious the spy grabbed him and retreated to another, unused cave where he could hide out with his captive until the battle was in full flow.

This was where he was now.

He was keeping watch by the entrance to make sure they remained undiscovered while Hiccup was propped up against the wall beside him. The boy was still fast asleep but the spy was taking no chances and had bound and gagged him just in case he woke up earlier than he thought. Always able to keep track of time regardless of where he was he knew that the battle would have been going for a while now and that it would soon be time for him to make his escape.

He heard shrieks and roars combined with rumbles and shouts and he gave a smile. That was likely the Titans coming for Snotlout and it appeared their arrival had not been stealthy in the slightest. Taking the opportunity the spy picked the sleeping Hiccup up and stole off towards a nearby entrance that was in the opposite direction to the Titans, the dragons would be so occupied with them that he would be able to disappear with his captive no problem.

* * *

Dragons converged upon the five Titans that had broken into their home but they were unable to stop them from advancing.

Gustav and Nova largely dealt with their foes with Leif and Amber lending their support by immobilising the enemy. Most of the dragons in the Sanctuary weren't fighters so they flung themselves at them with little skill making them easy to defeat, many were wounded or immobilised but a couple were not so lucky.

With Newt guiding them they continued heading downwards and occasionally Nova used his digging abilities to open new routes and paths as they left a trail of destruction in their wake. Eventually they broke into the lower caves and charged in the direction of the main one where most of the hatchlings were gathered. This was where the teens were along with their target, Snotlout.

Defeating more dragons who tried to stop them they burst into the main cavern, hatchlings cowered behind the adults in terror and several young dragons growled and stepped forward menacingly. The Titans however were too busy scanning the cavern for Snotlout and they soon spotted the boy standing by his mother along with the other teens.

Now to claim him.

* * *

 _ **PS-So it rages. More action next chapter and I hope you liked this one. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	23. Kidnap and Message

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the next instalment of the battle. Now one person requested a list of the Titans and their powers so here is each Titan, their age at the time of this story and the dragon whose powers they hold.**_

 _ **Gustav-13-Monstrous Nightmare**_

 _ **Leif-18-Speed Stinger**_

 _ **Newt-19-Changewing**_

 _ **Nova-20-Whispering Death**_

 _ **Amber-21-Deathsong**_

 _ **Heather-15-Razorwhip**_

 _ **Dagur-19 (in this canon)-Skrill**_

 _ **Akila-17-Deadly Nadder**_

 _ **Anthea-21-Typhoomerang**_

 _ **Erika-20-Timberjack**_

 _ **Arina-22-Hideous Zippleback (Spark Head)**_

 _ **Kadlin-22-Hideous Zippleback (Gas Head)**_

 _ **That's all the Titans so let's wrap this note up quickly. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Kidnap and Message**

The instant the Titans spotted their target they moved towards him.

The dragons were equally quick to defend Snotlout but the peaceful inhabitants of the Sanctuary were no match for Drago's battle hardened Titans. The fight did not last very long and the young dragons that tried to fight were soon paralysed or encased in amber, Snotlout's mother moved protectively in front of the teens and she let loose her flames upon the Titans. Gustav responded with his own fire breath and the two infernos collided and cancelled each other out, Snotlout's mother smelt someone right next to her but it was already too late. Newt had used the distraction of the colliding flames to steal round beside the Nightmare and she struck with her dirk, a blade that seemed to be a cross between a knife and a sword, and it neatly cut across certain points on the dragon's legs as Newt precisely wielded it. Snotlout's mother collapsed as her legs gave way beneath her due to the accurate positioning of the Titan's cuts, several amber blasts and the mother Nightmare was pinned to the cave floor defeated.

Sheathing her dirk Newt turned to the five teens, "Hand the boy Snotlout over to us."

They responded by pushing Snotlout safely behind them, he tried to stop them not wanting to simply hide behind his friends but Fishlegs put a protective arm around the younger boy and held him back as Astrid stepped forward. The girl had kept her axe close ever since the airships had first appeared and now she held it up ready to fight, "Never!"

Leif laughed scornfully, "Really!? You think you can stop us with a simple axe and minimal fighting skills?"

Astrid scowled at his tone, "Why don't you test me blondie!"

Newt merely sighed, "We don't have to. We're just about to get him regardless of your pitiful attempt at protection."

The ground behind Astrid rumbled and shook and there was a flurry of rock as Fishlegs was thrown to the side. The dust settled to reveal Nova tightly holding a struggling Snotlout, the Titan grinned at Astrid, "Sorry beautiful, you had no chance of stopping us even if we did fight you."

Astrid leapt towards him with an outraged cry but a quick kick from Newt sent her sprawling, the twins made their own rescue attempt but fell flat on their faces as Amber ensnared their legs with her amber. Fishlegs had been knocked cold by Nova when he'd burst from the ground so there was now no one left to contest the Titans. Leif gazed around the defeated dragons and teens and snorted, "Idiots."

Snotlout was still wildly struggling but Nova kept a tight grip on him as he casually addressed them, "If you please Amber…"

A couple of moments later Snotlout's hands, feet and torso were restrained by solid amber greatly reducing his struggles as Nova carried him effortlessly over his shoulder. The Titan nodded to the others, "Let's get moving. The Alpha will have likely noticed what we're doing already, we've hardly been stealthy about after all. We won't last against a full Alpha even with our powers."

They all hurried off even as Newt reminded him of their instructions, "Remember that we can't draw the Alpha out until dawn."

"Don't worry Newt." Nova answered as they moved through the Sanctuary, "We've actually been here far longer than you think. Dawn will arrive pretty soon."

* * *

Outside Hookfang and Barf and Belch had just sunk yet another landing boat.

Things had gotten harder since Toothless ran inside to find Hiccup but the two dragons were holding out. Fortunately the number of approaching boats had decreased as the enemy ran out of them and they now had a moment's breathing space. Surveying the area Hookfang saw no immediate things to be concerned about and that they'd successfully stopped any of the invaders from reaching the Sanctuary. The Nightmare was just considering heading over to assist with sinking one of the main ships when something else caught his senses.

Snotlout was distressed.

His close bond to his brother allowed Hookfang to sense whenever the boy reached particularly high emotional levels, especially if the emotions were ones of distress. He was also picking up similar emotions from his mother and the Nightmare knew that something was very wrong in the Sanctuary. He looked to Barf and Belch and realised that the Zippleback was sensing something similar from his own siblings and in unspoken agreement the two dragons turned round and flew straight for the Sanctuary.

* * *

Astrid groaned and slowly got up from where Newt's blow had sent her flying to.

She heard the twins nearby speaking furiously and grunting in frustration and she looked their way and saw that their legs were encased in amber. Quickly her dazed mind remembered what had just happened and her eyes darted around searching for the five Titans only to find that they'd gone along with Snotlout.

Astrid slammed her hand down angrily, they'd managed to kidnap Snotlout again! Why were they so desperate to get their hands on him and break up their family? Furious at her inability to protect the younger teen the girl grabbed her axe and held it aloft above the twin's trapped legs, "Hold still!"

Tuffnut grabbed his sister yelling fearfully, "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

Ruffnut returned the hug her response equally distressed, "I LOVE YOU TUFF!"

Astrid mightily swung the axe down striking directly on their bonds only for the weapon to bounce off the solid amber. The impact caused Astrid to drop the axe as the violent vibrations ran up the shaft and through her arms, she danced around letting forth a stream of curses that her father and Valka certainly wouldn't approve of while the twins exclaimed joyfully.

"WE DIDN'T DIE!"

"AND WE'VE STILL GOT OUR LEGS!"

Recovered Astrid stamped her foot in frustration, "But you're still stuck! How are we going to get you and all the others out of that amber?"

Snotlout's mother growled a suggestion at her and the girl frowned, "Monstrous Nightmare gel? Are you sure that'll work?"

The dragon replied snappily and Astrid quickly ran over to her and began collecting the gel, "Okay, let's do this."

In short order she put the gel on the amber holding the twin's legs and then managed to coax one of the upset hatchlings to light it, instantly the amber shattered releasing the twins and Astrid wasted no time setting them to work, "Gather the gel and release as many of the trapped ones as you can, I'll check on Fishlegs and then we can get after those Titans and rescue Snotlout."

Eagerly the twins set about their task as Astrid hurried over to the unconscious Fishlegs, he'd ended up face down so she gently turned him over to check his condition. Luckily there was no blood but there was a sizable lump on the side of his head where he'd knocked it, she guessed it would be pretty sore when he awoke and he might be dazed but hopefully he'd recover just fine. She put him in a more comfortable position then went to help the twins, the paralysed dragons could only wait for it to wear off but soon the entrapped ones were free again and went about settling the upset and terrified hatchlings. Snotlout's mother was also free but the damage from Newts dirk left her immobilised until it could be healed and the Nightmare hated the fact that she couldn't try and rescue her son immediately.

They'd just finished doing what they could for the various wounds the dragons had when Hookfang burst into the cave closely followed by the siblings of the other teens.

Stormfly and Meatlug had also sensed that their siblings were in danger and had met with Hookfang and Barf and Belch on their way to the cave. Spotting their respective brothers or sisters they hurried to their sides, Meatlug was especially worried about Fishlegs until Astrid convinced her that he should recover just fine. Hookfang had dived to the side of his mother and she'd told him everything that had happened.

The moment he knew what had happened to his brother he was up and charging for the entrance determined to catch up to the Titans. Seeing him go Astrid grabbed her axe and jumped onto Stormfly as the two of them followed him, the twins followed suit with Barf and Belch and they all stormed out of the cave leaving Astrid's words behind them.

"Meatlug, take care of Fishlegs!"

The Gronckle roared her agreement back as they vanished after the Titans.

* * *

Further out to sea Stoick's boat was approaching the Sanctuary.

The Rumblehorn was leading them straight towards it and they could all see the flashes of dragon fire and dimly hear the sounds of combat. Regardless they pushed on and Stoick had already given them instructions to arm themselves, he gazed out towards the battle before turning to his men, "Right men. We don't know what we're sailing into but we'll not shrink away, I know it seems crazy but I'm certain that Eret is somewhere amongst all of that so keep your eyes peeled and trust no one until we're sure of what exactly is going on."

"Stoick."

Noting the warning tone in Alvin's voice, Stoick looked in the direction his friend was and saw four boats heading towards them. They were being powerfully rowed and those aboard were obviously coming to board them, readying his own weapon Stoick called to his men, "We've got guests lads, let's give them a proper welcome!"

They roared in approval and readied themselves, the Rumblehorn flew towards the approaching vessels and they saw the dragon begin an attack of his own. The boats were not unprepared however and soon various launchers and other anti-dragon weaponry was being used against it, the Rumblehorn skilfully dodged the projectiles and returned fire but one dragon would not be enough to stop the boats reaching them.

The nearest vessel turned some of its long range weapons towards them and men dived out the way as a large boulder flew past taking out the mast. Another smashed through the hull rending a gaping hole on the water line and water began pouring in, Stoick growled in anger at the fact that had no long range weapons to return fire and he knew that the enemy could simply stay away and launch rocks until they sank. At this rate they were going to be defeated before they'd even fought.

Suddenly another far larger ship began approaching from the side and the men groaned in despair. Stoick however noticed that the men in the enemy boats were confused at its approach and some of them began hailing it. There was no response and it doggedly continued its course straight towards the other boats, realising that the ship was not changing course the enemy began to row madly backwards to get out of its path. They only just made it and the ship sailed neatly between Stoick's boat and the four enemy vessels. The man stared dumfounded up the immense hull before him until several ropes were thrown over the side landing neatly in their rapidly sinking ship.

"UNCLE!"

Everyone's jaw dropped at the sight of Eret cheerily waving at them from the deck of the huge ship and the young man frowned at them, "Get aboard quick!"

Snapping from his shock Stoick quickly commanded his men, "Everyone up the ropes, NOW!"

Responding rapidly the crew scrambled to obey and soon the boat cleared as they all grabbed a rope and climbed. Stoick was the last to leave and he seized one of the ropes and quickly hauled himself up it leaving the boat to sink into the ocean. Pulling himself over the side he saw that Eret had been swarmed by joyful men who were ecstatic to see him still alive, Alvin had him in a full on bear hug while the others thumped him on the back or patted his head. Stoick pushed his way through them all and got to Eret just as Alvin finally released him, he pulled the young man into another furious hug paying no mind to the tears of relief in his own eyes, "You're alive!"

Eret manged to pull his face from where it had been buried into his guardian's beard and gasp out a reply, "Not for much longer if you keep crushing me."

Stoick released him and Eret regained his breath before speaking again, "Uncle, there's someone here who you need to meet..."

A voice from behind Stoick interrupted him, "There ye are ye ginger haired, boar-headed twit. I've spent the last five years looking for ye all over the whole Archipelago!"

Recognising the voice even after so many years Stoick slowly turned to face its owner, "Gobber?"

The blacksmith folded his arms, "Aye it's me ye numpty and I've got something ye need to hear."

Sudden remembrance of the other boats distracted Stoick from the shock of seeing his old friend once more and he quickly ran to the ship's side, "The other boats! We need to defend ourselves in case they try and board us!"

Gobber quickly dismissed his worries, "We've already got some people on that, this ship had a few passengers who were more than happy to help us take this beauty. They're dealing with those boats right now."

Stoick looked over the ship's side in amazement watching several dragons help the Rumblehorn sink the enemy ships, in very little time the boats were gone and the dragons flew back to land on their ship. Stoick's men backed off fearfully and reached for their weapons but Gobber quickly waved them down, "Don't worry lads, Grump told these guys that we're on their side. As long as ye don't try an' attack them they won't attack ye, just remember that they're not very trusting because of Drago's men."

Both parties gazed at each other warily until Stoick signalled his men to lower their weapons, reluctantly they agreed and the dragons also settled though they stayed away from the humans. Satisfied that the two races weren't going to try and kill each other anytime soon Gobber focused his attention on Stoick, "Now I know we've got a lot to catch up on but right now we need to get over to that island and help the dragons fight off Drago's men."

"An' why should we do that?" It was Alvin who'd spoken and some of the men murmured in agreement as he spoke further, "It would be far better if we just take this ship an' slip away. Let Drago's men fight the dragons, at least that way they're not going to be coming to invade our village any time soon."

Several of the dragons gave disgruntled growls of anger at this and Eret spoke up, "But it's not just dragons they're fighting. We questioned some of the crew and they say that they're attacking this nest because it's where the Dragon Riders are, the same ones at the fall of the Fortress five years ago."

One of the men hummed thoughtfully, "Forming an alliance with them could be a very good move on our part and it might help us find a way to get rid of Drago for good. They were the ones who beat him five years ago."

Stoick shook his head, "We have no idea if they're even on our side, they obviously consider Drago an enemy but that doesn't mean they'll consider us friends. For all we know they could believe that all humans are an enemy since we've fought with dragons many times in the past." He folded his arms determinedly, "We all spent many years enslaved to Drago and those Dragon Riders never appeared to help us during that time, they only attacked the Fortress five years ago because one of their own was taken so they clearly do not care about anything beyond their own home. We need to focus on our home which means that Alvin's suggestion is the best one, we will very likely lose if we enter that battle and then there'll be few left at the village to help it survive. We must protect our own."

Gobber sighed, "Stoick, it wasn't lack of care that stopped the Dragon Riders from coming to help us in the Fortress, they were far too young to do anything and them winning five years ago is a miracle in and of itself. Ye could even say that they're too young now and its circumstance that's forcing them to fight."

Stoick frowned at his friend of many years ago, "What do you mean Gobber? Do you know who they are?"

The blacksmith solemnly nodded, "Aye, or at least I can make a very good guess." He paused and fixed Stoick with an unwavering stare.

"They're five kids we thought were lost when Drago attacked Berk…including yer son."

* * *

 _ **PS-A far longer chapter than usual and a bit of a bombshell for Stoick at the end. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	24. Titans and Alphas

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the next instalment of the battle. More action with the Titans and dragons and even the Bewilderbeast joins the battle so expect things to heat up dramatically. Thank you everyone for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Titans and Alphas**

At Gobber's words everyone aboard the ship fell into deathly silence.

All the humans present knew about Stoick's son and the fact he was thought dead many years ago, having a stranger appear so suddenly and state that the boy was actually still alive with such conviction blew their minds. Stoick himself simply stared at his long lost friend as he tried to wrap his mind around what Gobber had just said.

His first thought was to cast the man's claim aside for he'd long since resigned himself to the fact that Hiccup was gone along with Valka, there was no way his infant son had survived that night so it was impossible for him to be one of the Dragon Riders. If it was anyone else he'd rounded on the man in anger and told him that his words were foolish and deluded but it was Gobber and that made him pause.

Now he hadn't seen his old friend in many years and both of them had been through so much they could've radically changed from how they used to be, however the Gobber he knew was able to weather nearly anything without changing and he felt that would've stay true over the last fifteen years. The man he knew had his crazy stories and believed in ridiculous things such as trolls but he would never make a statement about something as personal and important as this without being sure. It had been fifteen years since they'd last met but even now Stoick could feel that his old friend was right, that he truly believed the impossible had happened and Hiccup was still alive. For the first time in many years Stoick dared to think that he'd see his son again in this life.

The silence stretched for what felt like an age until Stoick turned to Alvin and spoke in a voice filled with authority, "Head for the island. We shall help the Dragon Riders!"

The man grinned and set about organizing the other men as the dragons roared in what sounded like approval. As the ship became a hive of activity Stoick turned his focus back on Gobber.

"Tell me everything you know."

* * *

Toothless was speeding through the Sanctuary desperately searching for Hiccup.

He could sense his brother through their close bond and although that helped in his search it didn't tell him exactly where he was, it was more of a 'hotter-colder' sense in that he sensed more of his brother's emotions the closer he got to him. Right now though he wasn't sensing very much in the way of Hiccup's emotions making it far more difficult to find him.

Swooping down tunnels and through caves Toothless kept up the search for Hiccup determined to find him and discover exactly what was wrong. He suddenly picked up emotions from someone else very close to him and it took merely a moment to realise whose emotions they were.

Snotlout's.

They were very strong indicating that he was close and very distressed, Toothless instantly broke away from his search for Hiccup and headed in Snotlout's direction. The boy was clearly in a lot of danger and whatever was happening to him might well be connected to what had happened to Hiccup.

Flying down another tunnel he emerged into the main chamber of the Sanctuary and his quick eyes spotted the group hurrying along the bottom floor. He recognised the Titans from the last couple of times he'd seen them and he also saw Snotlout clearly being kidnapped by them. Moving effortlessly into a dive Toothless headed straight towards them in an attempt to pluck the boy from their grasp before they knew he was there.

Unfortunately Newt was alert and she noticed the Night Fury descending upon them in time to warn the others, "INCOMING!"

The Titans dived out of the dragon's way and Toothless had to quickly pull up out of his dive and gain height to avoid their counter attack. Amber fired off some of her entrapping goo but it fell short of the agile Night Fury. Leif tried a more direct approach and jumped from ledge to ledge, his powerful legs allowing him to make great leaps upwards. He launched himself at Toothless but the dragon saw him coming and easily avoided the attack. By this time Gustav had joined the fray and he sent his powerful fire blasts up at the Toothless keeping the pressure on the Night Fury as Nova and Newt started to slip away while the dragon was occupied.

"TOOTHLESS!"

Nova swiftly gagged Snotlout silencing him but the boy's yell had alerted the dragon to their escape and Toothless immediately switched his attention to the two Titans that had him. He swooped down towards them and Newt prepared to fight him as Nova continued his escape with Snotlout, the other Titans moved in to take advantage of Toothless' shift of focus but blasts of fire from another tunnel halted their plan.

Snotlout's yell had also caught the attention of Hookfang and the others and the teens and their siblings burst into the chamber ready to fight. Leaving Toothless to Newt, Leif and Amber focused on the new arrivals and soon the battle was raging as the dragons took to the air while the two Titans worked to bring them down.

Toothless continued his dive with only Newt to contend with and he fired off one of his deadly shots straight at her, the girl easily avoided it and disappeared into the dust and smoke the blast caused. The Night Fury halted his dive and glanced about as the cloud dispersed leaving no trace of his target, his senses kicked in and he instinctively shot upwards to avoid Newt's stab from beneath him as she dropped her camouflage. It was a narrow miss and the Titan briefly scowled at her failure before vanishing again. Toothless sped off after Nova in an attempt to use his sheer speed to leave the Titan behind and rescue Snotlout. Nova saw him coming and he spun around and released some spines towards the Night Fury forcing Toothless to slow down and dodge them, Newt rematerialized and dived in for another attack which Toothless narrowly avoided yet again as Nova continued his escape.

Then a mighty roar rumbled throughout the Sanctuary shaking the very walls as the Bewilderbeast emerged from his private cave to join the fight.

His huge size actually stopped him from entering many parts of his Sanctuary which was why he couldn't help in the fight before but now the Titans were in the vast main chamber he could step out and rescue Snotlout himself.

As one the Titans broke off from their respective fights and focused on getting away, they were strong but even together they wouldn't stand a chance against a full Alpha. The dragons and teens also broke away knowing that they would simply be in the Bewilderbeast's way if they kept it up. Instead they followed behind as he lumbered after those who'd dare to enter his home and take one who was under his protection.

The Titans dived into a tunnel but if they thought that would halt the behemoth chasing them then they were sorely mistaken. The Bewilderbeast had held off this long because he did not wish to demolish the Sanctuary's natural walls and defences if he could help it but now he was intending to finish the battle himself anyway so their defensive capabilities would no longer be needed. He could've done this far sooner but he did not wish to take anyone's life if he could help it, even the life of an enemy. Now though one of his own was in danger so all bets were off and if this was the way to end it then so be it.

He crashed through the wall as he kept up his relentless pursuit ploughing through stone and thick ice like it was loose sand. The Titans tried desperately to stay ahead of him and they'd handed Snotlout onto Leif and sent the Speed Stinger Titan to sprint on ahead with their captive as they continued to lead the Bewilderbeast out.

* * *

Outside everyone heard the crashing and rumbling from within as the dawn brought light to the battle. Humans scattered everywhere knowing full well what was coming and the dragons also flew further into the air getting out of the way. From the _Dragon Eye_ Viggo watched the mountainside eagerly awaiting the Alpha's arrival.

* * *

At another tunnel Viggo's spy emerged carrying Hiccup, he'd used the battle inside to cover his escape and slip out unnoticed. The boy over his shoulder grunted and squirmed as the sleeping potion wore off, Hiccup slowly came awake then jumped with fear as he realised he was bound and gagged. He struggled in an attempt to escape then suddenly froze when he heard the rumbles of the Bewilderbeast, he fixed his eyes towards another part of the island and despite himself Viggo's spy did the same wanting to see the full power of an Alpha with his own eyes.

* * *

Aboard the captured ship Stoick and the others heard the roars and they stood and stared wondering what was happening inside, the dragons could sense it and they watched fearfully unsure if they wanted to be around when the Alpha appeared.

* * *

Across the entire area humans and dragons stopped and watched for the Alpha to join the conflict and although only a few knew the reason for drawing him out everyone felt that they were about to witness a mighty clash. With bated breath and fear they awaited the Bewilderbeast's appearance and he didn't make them wait long.

With a mighty roar and a spectacular explosion of rock and ice he burst out of the Sanctuary into the dawn light with the Titans scurrying out just ahead of him. Leif had already reached an airship landing vessel and thrown Snotlout aboard ready to take him up to the _Dragon Bane_ , the others rushed to join him and the Bewilderbeast began to head after them.

Then a mighty roar was heard.

Recognising the challenge the Bewilderbeast looked to the horizon and faltered at what he saw. Everyone else followed his gaze and even those who knew what was coming gaped in amazement at the new addition to the battlefield.

Gigantic in size, heavily armoured and brimming with weaponry came an airship that had no right existing never mind flying. It dwarfed its smaller counter parts and people were certain that not even the three together would equal its sheer bulk. Casting a grim shadow over all beneath it the airship struck fear into those who gazed upon it's dark sides that seemed to swallow the sunlight that touched them. Without a doubt it was Saphia's masterpiece, a vessel that the world had never encountered nor would encounter again. Nothing could match it and the mere thought of the amount of resources that had to go into it was enough to stagger the minds of all. It was the fortress that Drago intended to spread his dominion, the castle from which he would be king and the weapon that would make his enemies kneel before him in fear. As the symbol and seat of his power he'd named it accordingly.

 _Throne._

Drago had arrived.

* * *

 _ **PS-Drago has arrived! Expect a huge Alpha vs Alpha grudge match next chapter but who is going to come out on top. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	25. War

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and sorry for the slightly longer wait for this chapter. This time things really heat up as Drago and the Bewilderbeast go head to head. Thank you everyone for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **War**

The appearance of the mighty airship brought all fighting to an absolute halt as every living thing stared up at the terrifying vessel.

Standing upon an outside platform in the bow of the airship was Drago and he gazed down upon the Sanctuary revelling in the fear that his ship produced. It was the same fear that the Fortress garnered before it had been destroyed and he'd waited a long time for such a reaction to be directed at him again. For the first time in five years he felt like the conquering king once more and he had no intention of losing that reputation again.

The Bewilderbeast stared right at him and Drago was certain that the Alpha knew who was challenging him. The great dragon reared up on his hind legs and gave forth a roar that seemed to shake the sky itself declaring his authority and his answer to Drago's challenge. Drago smiled and returned the roar causing all his men to tremble in fear as the gauntlet was cast down. Dragons and humans alike scattered leaving a vast area clear for the impending fight as the _Throne_ slowly flew over the Sanctuary's shores, as the airship turned ready to move away Drago gave a roar of joy and threw himself from the platform and into the air. Like some fell meteor he plummeted to the ground landing before his opponent shaking the earth and cracking the stone around him.

A hush fell over the onlookers as they beheld the Alpha Titan himself.

Drago had outfitted himself for the battle and had shed his dragonskin cloak for heavy armour. It was dark in colour and decorated with strange orange markings and unknown runes he'd only ever encountered in the vision that had once been granted to him by the artefact before its destruction. He wore no helm but a metal eyepatch covered his right eye, the very same eye that Spitelout had destroyed five years earlier when the Fortress fell. He hadn't armed himself with a weapon but he still gave off an aura of power and strength that was only matched by the Bewilderbeast himself and everyone took a couple more steps back as the two leaders stared each other down.

Slowly they began to circle each other looking for openings and opportunities to land a hit, both were experienced and neither one was foolish enough to believe that their strength alone would overcome the other. There would be no ice blasts in this fight, these sort of challenges had ancient rules which every dragon instinctively knew as well as Drago. Disobeying the rules would not mean victory even if the one who did vanquished their opponent, unless the original Alpha was defeated properly as the ancient rules dictated then the dragons would not be able to be controlled by the victor and that was just how it worked.

Tension grew as they continued to circle and the very air seemed to still as the sea somehow fell silent. The two stopped moving and stared at each other as all others waited to see who would make the opening move.

It was the Bewilderbeast who obliged them.

At a speed a dragon of his size should not be capable of the King of the Sanctuary swung his mighty tusks at Drago but he was ready. Moving easily into a defensive stance the Alpha Titan blocked the blow with his hands and pushed back, the Bewilderbeast swiftly changed tack and pulled his tusks back and lunged forward to stab. Drago dodged to the side and struck the nearest one with his clasped fists deflecting it to the side, the Bewilderbeast staggered slightly but soon regained his footing and stamped downward with one of his feet as if to crush his foe. This time Drago stayed beneath it and the ground shook and dust filled the air as the foot crashed upon him but he was far from crushed.

The dust cleared to reveal him holding the foot in place above his head and the Bewilderbeast pressed down harder, the Alpha Titan pushed back and the ground cracked and broke as the two powers pressed against each other. The contest of strength continued as everyone waited to see who would give first.

* * *

Though most were entirely focused on the fight a few were using the distraction it was causing to further their own goals.

Viggo had left the _Dragon Eye_ and was on his way towards the _Throne_ having altered his plans slightly at its appearance seeing an opportunity he could not ignore.

Now was the perfect time to begin his takeover of Drago's forces and the man had provided the perfect means for him to do so. The airship the so called king had brought was obviously the most powerful weapon around so whoever controlled that controlled the army. He had to admit he did not expect Drago to turn up in something as powerful as that but Viggo wouldn't have got to where he was now if he couldn't adjust to the unexpected, once again Drago had impressed him by managing to keep something like this from his spies but he would soon turn this development to his advantage.

He'd spent quite some time slowly turning people over to his side, many were dissatisfied with serving Drago and were interested in following a new leader. They were in every part of Drago's forces and they all knew what was expected of them when the moment of betrayal came. No doubt the airship was crewed only by those loyal to Drago but Viggo had men in every other vessel of the fleet and more than enough to take the _Throne_ in an attack.

As they approached he gave a nod to the one piloting the landing airship and the man saluted before activating a particular function of the craft. A small launcher fired a single canister into the air and once it was a safe distance from the vessel it exploded and Viggo gave a smile.

The signal had been given.

* * *

Down on the ground Viggo's spy had seen the explosion in the air, recognising its message he left off watching the Alpha's fight and returned to his task.

Hurrying away with Hiccup he made for one of the landing airships that was piloted by one of Viggo's men intending to take his captive to the _Dragon Eye_. As he moved shouts sounded from among the watching crowds and there was the clash of weapons as those who followed Viggo turned upon the ones loyal to Drago. Confusion took over as men were caught unawares and were forced to defend themselves from their own allies. What had been a mass of people watching the fight between Drago and the Bewilderbeast became a melee as Viggo's takeover began to spread through Drago's forces.

The spy did not quite understand why his master had implemented his plan now but he did not waste time questioning it, his job was to get the boy to the _Dragon Eye_ so that was his only concern. If his master believed that now was the best time to take control then he must have a good reason and that was enough.

The sudden eruption of violence served as an excellent distraction so he dispensed with stealth and simply went for speed, everyone was too busy to worry about him right now. Dodging around fighters he pressed on with his captive managing to keep a hold of the boy despite his violent struggles.

He was getting close to his destination when a sudden blast impacted in his path forcing him to a halt.

His ears picked up the sound of wings through the air and he nimbly dodged to the side just as Toothless made a grab for Hiccup. The dragon landed neatly on the ground and faced the spy with a ferocious growl making it clear that he wanted the boy back. The spy assessed the situation coolly, he was not foolish enough to believe he'd outrun a Night Fury so that left him with fighting as the only option. He may be a spy but that didn't mean he couldn't handle a normal fight, his skills were many and he saw this as simply an unwanted obstacle on his mission.

Without hesitation he drew a dagger from his belt.

* * *

Viggo's mutiny had happened aboard the ships as well and his men were carrying it out with ruthless efficiency.

Any that remained loyal to Drago were killed while those that were willing to change sides were forced to do so. Weapons clashed as the two sides met and fought and blood flowed as the sudden struggle for power gripped them. Many fought anyone and anything like they were gripped by madness, the confusion meant that a lot of Drago's forces actually had no idea what was happening while some simply didn't care who won and just focused on surviving.

Aboard the _Dragon Bane_ the remaining Titans struck down Viggo's men as they kept control of their airship. Kadlin commanded them and kept order amongst their troops in the midst of the madness. They all had to be careful with their powers as one misfire could seriously damage their vessel but that did little to lessen their ability to fight, Kadlin and Erika maintained their distance as they took out their foes while Arina was in the midst of the fight wielding her sword and axe with terrible joy as she decimated her attackers. Anthea was right alongside her as her twin daggers wreaked havoc alongside Akila and her spear. Heather had no need of a weapon since her Razorwhip powers meant that her whole body was one, her arms sliced through men with ease killing many before they could even hope to break through her iron-like skin. Dagur however was nowhere to be found since he'd disappeared when the fight started, it looked like he'd abandoned his Titan siblings but all of them knew better than that and their focus remained on their foes as they left him to whatever he was doing.

* * *

Outside Dagur had climbed onto the _Dragon Bane_ 's vast balloon a hunch having led him there. He was certain that the Riders were sure to take advantage of the mutiny and press an attack so he'd headed up there to hold them off.

Scanning the skies he soon saw the flock of dragons heading towards the airships and he grinned happily. Focusing his power he felt lightning crackle around him as he charged the air, the sky soon responded and a bolt of lightning lanced down towards him striking directly upon him. Electricity danced around him and he laughed with joy as the power surged through his body. Then he thrust his hands forward sending all the power right towards the dragons, it shot across the sky, lighting it with its brilliance then struck right among the dragons hitting several and blasting them from the sky. Many of them managed to avoid the devastating blast and they scattered throughout the sky heading towards different airships, one however headed directly towards Dagur and the Titan's grin grew wider as he recognised it.

The Rumblehorn!

Seeing the chance for revenge Dagur summoned more lightning and readied himself for the upcoming clash. Fighting in the very air itself gave him a rush he could not get anywhere else and he let it fill him with strength.

This time he'd win.

* * *

The Titans on the ground had run into their own fight when Hookfamg and the others launched themselves at them.

With the Bewilderbeast in the middle of his own battle they'd resumed their attempts to rescue Snotlout but they were not faring well.

The Titans far outmatched the teens and they were skilled at fighting dragons making it a very one sided battle. The one thing the teens and their siblings had in their favour was the fact they'd encountered the Titans before so they knew about their abilities but that simply let them dodge and survive rather than gain any real advantage. They were managing to prevent the Titans from escaping but it took everything they had to even manage that.

As Stormfly dodged some spines from Nova Astrid growled in frustration, "How are we going to deal with these guys!?"

Barf and Belch released and detonated some of their gas but it missed their target as Leif nimbly jumped out of the way and Ruffnut snarled, "We can't even hit them!"

Hookfang roared angrily and released his flames all over the surrounding area but the Titans simply avoided or endured them, Newt suddenly appeared out of nowhere and kicked Tuffnut off of Belch and the teen fell earthward, "SIS!"

Ruffnut yelled in alarm and her Zippleback brother immediately dived after the plummeting boy, Amber took advantage and fired her amber shots to entrap the dragon but Stormfly managed to blast it before it hit home. Leif launched himself at the Nadder but was thwarted by Hookfang smashing him out of the air with his tail, Nova caught his falling Titan brother and launched some spines at the Nightmare which Hookfang dodged. The Whispering Death Titan then jumped to the side as Barf and Belch's gas poured around his feet and exploded, they'd safely caught Tuffnut and had tried to catch him by surprise but he'd realised just in time.

The fight raged on while Snotlout watched from where he'd been left bound in amber by the Titans and neither side was making much headway with their respective goals. Suddenly the boy sensed something and he looked up to the sky above.

Lightning crackled and rumbled and a shape was descending straight towards him, Gustav seemed to see it as well and he immediately charged towards Snotlout believing that whatever was coming was going to rescue the teen. A bolt of lightning lanced down forcing the Nightmare Titan to jump back to avoid it and in the brilliance it caused someone landed before Snotlout. Gustav dived at the new fighter ready to strike them down but the person swung a spear and struck the Titan with a mighty cry, "NO YE DON'T!"

The blow sent Gustav flying backwards and the fight stopped as he landed solidly among the others, all looked towards the newcomer who held the spear ready as a Skrill landed beside him in a blaze of electricity. Lightning sparked around them and all saw and recognised his face.

Alister had joined the fight.

* * *

 _ **PS-Alister has arrived and everyone's plans have kicked into high gear. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	26. Tide Turns

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello all and welcome to the next part of the battle. We see a couple of those involved and things change very suddenly once again. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Tide Turns**

There was a hesitation from the Titans at Alister's appearance and the boy used it to his advantage.

Spinning he swung the spear skilfully down towards Snotlout, the teen yelled in fear at the blade descending upon him and shut his eyes in panic. The keen double-edged spear blade struck the boy's amber bonds shattering them in an instant, within moments Snotlout was completely free and he gaped up at Alister who smiled down and offered his hand to him. The younger teen stared some more then grinned as he took the hand and let the older boy help him to his feet.

As he stood there was a shocked exclamation from Amber, "But how? My amber can't be shattered by a simple spear!"

Alister turned back and faced the Titans speaking to Snotlout as he did so, "Snotlout, ye need to get to Hookfang quickly and stay with him. These guys aren't just going to give up so yer better off where yer brother can protect ye. Me and Icebolt will help ye guys get rid of them."

Snotlout nodded, "Okay."

The Titans were rapidly getting over their surprise and Nova stepped forward and addressed Alister, "I remember you. You were the one that attacked us with only that Skrill for backup five years ago and you joined the others in the attack on the Fortress."

Alister raised his spear and pointed it at the Titan, "Fancy a rematch?"

The Whispering Death Titan smiled, "Why not, I'll even have the other Titans stay out of our fight so why don't you face me without your friends like last time."

Alister returned the smile, "I'll agree to that."

Nova's smile grew and he addressed the others, "Re-capture the boy, I'll deal with this one myself."

The other Titans instantly leapt towards Snotlout but the other teens and dragons were ready and soon their battle began once more, Hookfang managed to retrieve his younger brother and the Nightmare kept up the fight determined to not let his enemies get their hands on Snotlout again. Icebolt joined them and the Skrill's lightning began lashing down towards the Titans as they fought to reclaim their target.

Regardless of the fight raging around them Nova and Alister stood and stared each other down, the Titan pulled his Dragon-claw Gauntlets from where they hung on his belt and carefully put them on, "You do realise that this will end in your defeat the way it did last time."

Alister's answer was to ready his stance for the upcoming fight and Nova sighed, "Well, if you're sure."

Nova launched forward aiming to punch his foe at full force but Alister was prepared, the teen blocked the punch with the spear and pushed back sending the Titan flying back. Nova easily recovered and landed but his surprise at being sent flying by a human was obvious, Alister counter-attacked and dived towards him and the Titan only just avoided another swing from the spear. Nova's shock was even more evident upon seeing his opponent move with more speed and power than a normal human should.

What he didn't know was that ever since Alister had retrieved the spear he'd felt far more powerful than before, when he held it his body felt far stronger allowing him to jump far higher, move much faster and strike with far more force than he could without it. The spear even seemed to be honing his instincts letting him wield it with far more skill than he'd normally have. When he still lived with his father his skill with weaponry had been nurtured from the moment he could hold one, this meant his skills were more advanced than most but that would not normally allow him to use a weapon he'd never even held before with such ease. It seemed that the spear was indeed far more powerful than its appearance would let you believe just as the teen had suspected when he'd first seen it.

Alister jumped up and stabbed downwards forcing the Titan to burrow to escape, Nova resurfaced right behind him and went for another strike but the teen quickly spun and struck sending the Titan flying back once more.

Though he was currently on top Alister didn't let himself get overconfident, yes his weapon was strong but Nova wasn't using his full power yet. The Titan was trained to fight and defeat dragons, most likely several at once, and he had the strength and power to do that. The Titan's power exceeded that of other humans and now that Nova knew his opponent was far stronger than he thought he'd alter his tactics to suit the battle.

This fight was far from over.

* * *

Viggo's spy was having slight difficulty with his fight.

The Night Fury was proving relentless and far more skilled than he thought, he was quite impressed that a dragon was coming up with advanced combat manoeuvres since he hadn't realised that the beasts were capable of such things. He was further hampered by the fact that he had to keep a hold of a struggling teenager as he fought, Hiccup was fighting against his bonds with as much strength as he could muster making things very difficult but the spy knew that if he put the boy down the dragon would just grab him and fly away.

Dodging yet another attempt of the dragon's to snatch the boy the spy growled slightly, this was wasting his time! He needed to get the boy back to the _Dragon Eye_ and quickly but this dragon was proving to be a huge obstacle to surmount. Perhaps if he disappeared into the melee around them he could evade the dragon and escape.

He was just about to implement his plan when he heard a buzzing rapidly increasing in volume behind him, looking back he saw a Gronckle baring a rider flying straight at him. He dived to the side to avoid the attack and thought he'd done so when he sensed a presence beside him. It took a split second for him to realise it was the Night Fury and shock overtook his thoughts, how had it moved so quickly?

The hesitation cost him as the dragon swung its tail striking him dead on with incredible force, he lost his grip on his captive as he was thrown away from the creature to land heavily upon the ground some distance away. Something had broken upon impact and he lay there in pain unable to move.

He had only just enough time to realise that he'd failed for the first time in his life before a boulder thrown by one of the ships ensured it was his last.

* * *

On the top of the _Dragon Bane_ 's balloon Dagur's fight with the Rumblehorn was in full flow.

The dragon was taking full advantage of its flight and maintaining a safe distance from his opponent and attacking with his fire balls. The Titan was countering with his lightning powers and was able to stop the attacks before they even got close to hitting.

The Rumblehorn dodge another lightning bolt knowing that he was merely drawing the fight out. His reason for even being there was because he'd sensed something ominous approaching and he believed whatever it was would make its presence known here.

He'd been hanging around the area since the airships first appeared and by sheer coincidence he'd found and recognised the scent of a human he'd encountered five years ago. It had been Eret's scent and he remembered the boy from when he'd saved him by lifting him from the Fortress as it was collapsing, he'd seen him being captured and had decided to find the human he guessed was the boy's guardian. He wasn't sure why but he felt a connection with them both even though he'd only encountered them very briefly so he'd put off his task to help them. It hadn't taken him long to locate the older human and he'd led him back here to the boy so they could rescue him. Now that was done he could focus on his original task of finding out what evil was manipulating events.

Normally it was beyond the senses of most but recently it had become far more prominent for those who were not distracted by something else and now most dragons could sense it. Many had begun to flee but a few like him had headed towards it wanting to know what it was and possibly stop it. Now he was here he could sense it even more as if it was getting more powerful and he could see its effects on those fighting below him. The men may be in the middle of a mutiny but the Rumblehorn could see that there was more to their aggression than that, the dark force was enhancing their bloodlust making them more vicious and eager to shed blood and it was probably the same dark force that had pushed whoever was leading the mutiny to begin it right now. It was subtle but to one in the know the influence was obvious. Right now all he wanted to do was find the source of the evil and stop it but the Titan was preventing him from doing so.

He remembered him from five years ago and he'd thought he'd defeated the Titan then but apparently that wasn't the case. While he'd considered flying away he knew the Titan would simply follow and that was not what he needed, if he wanted to deal with whatever was causing the madness below he'd have to defeat the teenager once more.

Dodging again the Rumblehorn fired another fireball only for the Titan to blast it with another lightning bolt. The dragon roared and changed tack, going for a full charge instead. Dagur laughed madly and charged up his body intending to take the Rumblehorn dead on.

Whoever was going to win the clash would never be discovered as at that moment an explosion shook the sky claiming the attention of all involved in the battle.

* * *

Viggo had reached the _Throne_ and was making good progress through its interior.

He and his strike team had moved swiftly through the vast craft and had easily dealt with any resistance. Quite a few had eagerly joined his side and any others were disposed of without regret. So far his assault was working but Viggo was aware that Saphia was no fool and she was the most likely one in command of the vessel while Drago was otherwise occupied. No doubt the bridge would be heavily guarded and as they moved further on they met less resistance confirming his suspicions. Saphia was pulling her fighters back to defend the bridge from Viggo's attack. It was a good tactic since the bridge only had one way in so with suitable defences it could become impenetrable. However Viggo was prepared for such a scheme and had a weapon of his own that would devastate her defences.

As they got closer Viggo slowed his team and sent forward a couple of scouts, they soon returned and reported that Saphia had indeed bolstered the defences of the bridge making a head on attack very dangerous. Viggo smiled knowing that he'd accurately predicted his opponent's move as usual and gave instructions, "Very well, show them our new weapon."

Some of his men grinned maliciously and pulled out strange cylindrical objects, they then headed towards the bridge and as soon as the doors were in sight Viggo gave the command, "Use them now!"

The men clicked a button on the side of the cylinders and instantly threw them into the crowd of men defending the doors. They had a couple of moments to look at the objects in confusion before they showed their full bloody power.

Each canister was filled with Zippleback gas and the button had created a spark that lit a short internal fuse, the moment the fuse ran out it ignited the gas which exploded with incredible force. This force caused the canister to shatter sending sharp, metal shrapnel flying everywhere, maiming and killing every living thing in its range. Within seconds several of these had rendered the bridge guards to a bloody mess of dead and mortally wounded men destroying Saphia's last defence.

Smiling grimly at the results of his weapons Viggo strode towards the bridge doors ignoring the groans and cries of the wounded. His team went ahead and shoved the door open and charged in to deal with whatever forces Saphia had inside, following closely behind Viggo stepped through and found something he did not expect.

Everyone inside was already dead.

Bodies were strewn about the bridge and Saphia herself was sat with her back to the steering wheel her sightless eyes staring at the floor. There was no sign of a struggle as if they'd all been killed before they could defend themselves and Viggo's mind whirled.

Who had done this? Was there another traitor to Drago he didn't know about? Why hadn't the men outside noticed? All these thoughts crashed about his head as he tried to work out what he'd missed.

He didn't get to ponder long because the ship violently shook and as he staggered he felt the rapidly rising heat and his agile mind worked out what was happening. He barely had time to realise that for once he'd been outsmarted and he cursed whoever had managed to fool him.

Then the _Throne_ exploded.

* * *

 _ **PS-So what is the dark force? Who destroyed the Throne? And what will the result of the battle be? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	27. True Evil

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the final chapter of Family of Iron. It is a massively long chapter this time and you will finally discover which other franchise this story is about to crossover with.**_

 _ **Thank you everyone for your support of this story and the AU as a whole and keep your eyes peeled for the final story in the trilogy. It will be appearing in the crossover section of the site so keep checking my profile to see if it's appeared. I'll likely post a sort of epilogue chapter in this story when I've published announcing that it is here so you can keep an eye out for that.**_

 _ **Without further ado Thank you again for your support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **True Evil**

The sky shook and ears rang as the _Throne_ became an almighty inferno burning in the heavens.

Drago spun from his fight with the Bewilderbeast his face full of shocked rage, "WHAT!?"

Everyone around looked to the sky with horror and men on either side of the fight ran in fear and panic, dragons scattered everywhere and from atop of Cloudjumper Valka tried desperately to calm them. Aboard the _Dragon Eye_ Ryker pushed back his shock and took command, "Turn round and get us out of here! We don't want to be next."

* * *

Down with the teens the fight between Alister and Nova had halted at the explosion and the other Titans had stopped fighting. Snotlout felt a strange pull and he suddenly began running to where the Bewilderbeast and Drago had been fighting, Hookfang roared after him but the boy didn't seem to hear so the Nightmare followed along with the others.

* * *

Toothless had torn the ropes binding Hiccup and was sitting with him alongside Fishlegs and Meatlug, feeling a similar pull as Snotlout Hiccup also began running in the direction of the two Alphas. Fishlegs and Meatlug yelled after him but he kept running, Toothless roared at them to follow and they chased after the boy.

* * *

Leif made to pursue the teens and the dragons but Nova clapped a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. The Speed Stinger Titan turned to him in surprise, "Shouldn't we be going after them!?"

It was Newt who answered, "No, we shouldn't."

She immediately turned away and headed for the nearest, intact, landing ship while Leif called after her, "Where do you think you're going!? Our mission is to capture Snotlout!"

"Just shut up and use your instincts Leif!" Gustav snapped, "Can't you sense that something's wrong?"

Amber had shut her eyes, "Something powerful is approaching and its presence seems to be tainting the very air."

Leif calmed himself and focused, very quickly noticing the darkness that had manifested near them he looked towards where Drago was, "It's near our father. Shouldn't we do something?"

Nova shook his head, "No. Whatever this is we can't beat it. Our only option is to withdraw and let our father handle it."

With that he turned and followed after Newt and soon the other Titans joined him.

* * *

The explosion had disrupted the battle between Dagur and the Rumblehorn.

The shockwave from the exploding airship and thrown both parties off and the dragon recovered faster. He took the time for Dagur to recover to fly off and down towards the dark presence he could sense. The evil he'd been concerned about was finally manifesting but it seemed it wasn't fully here yet. From what he could tell it was somehow joined with another, a host if you like, and they were the one that was down on the island. For what reason the Rumblehorn didn't know but whatever it was it was going to be big.

He had to try and stop it.

* * *

Both Alphas had halted their fight sensing the new addition to the battlefield. Both knew it was powerful and both knew it was dangerous.

Its mere presence demanded the attention of all surrounding it and it felt far older than any other power they'd encountered. Its evil was so tangible you could almost taste it, it permeated the air and filled the hearts of many with fear and dread. Many felt the urge to bow and some were so overcome they fled in terror heedless of where they were running to. As if thrown up for this very occasion a curtain of dust concealed the one everyone was waiting for. Slowly the curtain opened fading silently into air that had become so still only the sound of a single pair of feet could be heard. They steadily approached and as the last of the curtain was pulled away the source of the darkness was revealed.

Savage.

The man stood before them an uncharacteristic smirk upon his face, his confidence, presence even his aura felt completely different from what Drago was used to. Savage was one of his most loyal commanders and was hardly the mastermind type, he followed orders without question and cowered in fear before his master the same as everyone else. He could not possibly hold the amount of power Drago was sensing from him now.

Savage gave a small smile, "You're as surprised as I'd expect you to be but that is the purpose of using the one you'd never suspect."

Though the words were said with Savage's mouth and Savage's voice they almost seemed to belong to someone else as if the commander before him wasn't the commander at all. Drago snarled, "Who are you?"

Savage grinned, "Perceptive aren't you, but that is why I used you as my puppet from the beginning. You have a desire so similar to my own that I knew you'd be perfect for what I needed. Not only do you have the desire but you have the drive to see it through as well, just the sort of man I respect."

Drago roared and breathed out his devastating ice but Savage merely swung his arm and it shattered, "Now though I have no need of you. Due to the devotion of Savage for so many years I have the strength to bring myself back, you're weakening of my bonds through making your Titans enabled me to creep through the cracks in my prison. My ability to influence grew and now Savage has harvested enough darkness from your wars to enable my spirit to inhabit his body." Whoever was inside him turned Savage's grin into a glare, "All I need now is to take back something of mine that you hold."

Drago slammed his fists together challengingly, "You will have to defeat me to claim it!"

The one inside Savage merely held up a hand, "I've already defeated you."

With a mighty roar Drago charged ready to slam his fist through his commander's head but he didn't even get two paces before some force threw him back. He landed in a heap and quickly stood but before he could fully recover his arm jerked with pain.

The back of his hand began to glow and he felt something slowly being torn from within him. Growling in defiance he focused his thoughts inwards and grabbed a hold of the power that was being slowly prised from him, he refused to give up the ancient power he carried without a fight.

"You cannot win this." Whatever was possessing Savage spoke matter of factly, "The power you're trying so hard to keep has always been mine, it belongs to me by right and I will take it back."

Drago simply snarled even as his arm was somehow pulled up towards Savage and continued his fight. Hiccup and Snotlout burst onto the scene and Savage smiled, "You've even managed to get the other two together as well. I expected no less from you Drago."

The man in question roared in pain as the power was slowly pulled away from him, he kept fighting but the force taking it was too strong and his strength was quickly failing. He'd never felt as outclassed as he did now, he'd always been the strongest, the most powerful and that standing had only been more prominent when he gained the powers of a Bewilderbeast. No one could match his raw power but now he was being completely overpowered by a force he'd never encountered, an evil that seemed to eclipse his strength entirely. A fighter to the end Drago continued to resist but he'd already realised the outcome. As the last of his strength slipped away he released the power he'd held for as long as he could remember, the power that had allowed him to become the most powerful man, that let him dominate the dragons themselves and had been the spark that ignited his dream of conquest.

It left him.

* * *

Snotlout could only stare as Drago collapsed to the ground, a light shot from the back of the man's hand straight towards the other one. The other man instantly intercepted the light with the back of his own hand and it briefly shone before it faded into it.

Grinning the man slowly clenched his fist and in response his hand glowed brightly, Snotlout could feel the power building around him and he could sense something growing in strength. Suddenly the mark on his own hand began to glow and a quick look at Hiccup confirmed that his cousin's mark was also resonating. The two looked at each other in fear wondering what it meant, how had this man taken the power from Drago and how was he able to wield it?

The power and light continued to build around the man and suddenly everyone except Snotlout and Hiccup were thrown back, the ground shook and heaved and people staggered but the two cousins stood unaffected. Toothless and Hookfang fought their way to their brother's sides determined to stay with them and the four stood firm as the light grew brighter and power surged like a storm.

Then a four legged figure appeared before them and another, softer, light surrounded them. A different surge of energy spun around them and they were gone.

* * *

Outside the whirling mass of light people staggered and the Sanctuary began to crack and shatter.

Astrid was fighting to where she'd seen her two friends but the power was so strong it kept her back, regardless she kept trying but soon it was taking everything she had to stay where she already was.

"ASTRID!"

The girl looked upwards to see Cloudjumper valiantly struggling against the power as Valka clung to his back, the women reached down as the Stormcutter flew low, "GRAB ON!"

Astrid reached upwards then the power violently surged again making her stagger further away, the dragons were more affected and all of them were flung away, including Cloudjumper, and scattered to the sky. The humans were slightly better off but the power was forcing them back as well, most of Drago's former army had fled already so only the teens remained. Alister had managed to drag himself to Astrid's side while keeping a tight hold of his spear, "ASTRID. WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

"BUT HICCUP AND SNOTLOUT ARE STILL IN THERE!"

He gripped the girl's hand, "THEY'LL BE FINE! TOOTHLESS AND HOOKFANG ARE STILL WITH THEM BUT WE NEED TO LEAVE!"

Another surge threw them back even further and Astrid saw his point, there was no way there were going to get close to the source of the light now and the whole island was breaking apart. If they stayed any longer they were going to die along with it.

Reluctantly she turned away and began running with Alister towards the shore as the ground cracked and groaned behind them. Dragons carrying the wounded and hatchlings poured out of the collapsing Sanctuary, the Bewilderbeast had gone into his home and given the order to evacuate and everyone had obeyed. In the skies above two of the airships had turned and were flying away, one was the _Dragon Bane_ and the other was the _Dragon Eye_. Most of the ships were also fleeing the island and soon there would be no way for the teens to escape since their dragon siblings had been thrown so far away.

Still they kept running with Alister and Astrid in the lead, Fishlegs began falling behind but the twins grabbed his arms and dragged him along with them making sure that he wouldn't be left behind. The sea rapidly got closer and Alister desperately tried to think of a way to get off the island, the dragons had been flung so far that they wouldn't be able to retrieve them and most of the ships had been taken already. If they were lucky one of the landing ships would still be usable and they could at least take it far enough for the dragons to pick them up.

Another surge flung them all onto their faces and the Sanctuary cracked and shattered, the island began to cave into the sea as the home of the Bewilderbeast collapsed upon itself. Water from the interior pools bubbled upwards flooding the vacated caverns and caves causing the destruction to increase as it ripped away natural stone pillars and supports. The teens struggled to their feet as the shore itself began to fracture and fall and they staggered to the sea edge. As they reached it another surge sent them down again and chunks of rock and ice were flung into the air, one massive ice chunk descended towards them and as it loomed over Alister moved.

In one smooth motion he was up and swinging his spear straight towards the ice. As it cut through the air it glowed and suddenly flames sprung from the blade and handle, the flames roared with power and for one moment Alister was wreathed in their fiery glory as the spear struck the ice. In an instant the ice was blasted apart and the impact sent the pieces flying everywhere. Any pieces that got near the teens was instantly melted by the intense flames becoming water and then steam preventing harm to any of the kids.

They only had a moment to stare in shock at their friend before a voice called to them from above, "CLIMB ABOARD!"

They all looked upward to see that a large ship had practically beached itself beside them, the voice belonged to a heavily built man with a mighty red beard and he gestured wildly at them, "MOVE IT!"

Snapping into action the teens grabbed the ropes that had been flung over the side and soon they were being rapidly pulled upwards onto the ship. The ship turned away from the shore and started to flee, the power surges from the whirling light actually speeding its escape, and as soon as she was aboard Astrid leaned over the side and watched as her home crumbled and cracked. She and the others stared at the light with grim faces and she quietly spoke to herself.

"Please be safe guys."

* * *

The Sanctuary was beyond saving even as the power that was shaking its foundations began to fade.

Its walls were shattered beyond repair and the caves had all collapsed into the very water pools that had sustained its people. The homes of the kids were buried with their belongings under many feet of stone and ice, the beaches had cracked and flooded as the plants inside the icy walls were flattened and crushed. The vast central pool bubbled and thrashed as the island crumbled into it and as all those fleeing watched as the entire centre of the island fell inwards vanishing into the waters in a mighty cloud of dust and stone.

The Sanctuary was gone.

* * *

Far away upon an island covered in the oldest of trees a light gleamed in an ancient clearing.

It grew in intensity and size and swelled until it filled the clearing. Then it faded leaving behind five figures.

Four of the figures looked around wildly confused as to how they'd suddenly ended up in this place. Hiccup was the one who spotted the fifth figure first and he quickly nudged Snotlout, Toothless and Hookfang were immediately on guard and growled but Snotlout took a step forward as he stared at the figure seeing for the first time that it was a wolf, "I've seen you before haven't I? You were the one who blocked the joining at the Fortress five years ago."

The wolf seemed to smile and silently nodded and Hiccup joined his cousin, "Who are you? Why did you bring us here?"

The wolf did not answer but walked away towards the edge of the clearing, he stopped and looked back before using his head to indicate that they should follow. Hiccup looked at Snotlout uncertainly, "What should we do?"

The younger boy frowned thoughtfully, "I think we should follow. This wolf was obviously the one who brought us here and he must have done for a reason. I'm certain this has something to do with the marks on our hands so we need to find out what he wants."

Hiccup bit his lip undecidedly then nodded, "You're right. Let's follow him."

With determination the four followed the wolf.

* * *

On the ship silence reigned as what was left of the Sanctuary rapidly disappeared behind them.

Astrid hadn't stopped staring at it and still she watched hoping for the sight of Hiccup and Snotlout flying towards them on Toothless and Hookfang. Their own dragon siblings had managed to find them and now they stood beside them staring back at what was their home. Valka had yet to appear but the teens were certain that she would find them soon along with the rest of the Sanctuary dragons.

Ever practical Alister had turned from the view behind and faced the man whose crew had saved them, Icebolt stood firmly by his friend's side and the Skrill stared at the man with suspicion. Eventually Alister spoke, "Thank ye for rescuing us but who are ye? Yer definitely not Drago's men so how do ye have one of his ships?"

The red bearded man smiled, "We managed to steal it from Drago's men and released the dragons imprisoned aboard." He nodded slightly, "My name is Stoick the Vast."

At his name all the teens turned and gaped and it was Ruffnut who spoke in utter disbelief.

"No way!"

* * *

In the ruins of the Sanctuary the light that had torn the place apart slowly faded and with it went the surges of power.

Upon the ground was the prone form of Savage and the former commander groaned and slowly stirred. He raised his eyes and saw the light fading away before him and he grinned with joy, "It's done!" He pulled himself onto his knees and tears of joy began to pour down, "It's done. It worked! After all these years of waiting, all this time spent in hiding, serving others, acting the fool, after all this he's returned. My true master has returned to claim what he is! He's escaped his prison and can truly dominate this world!" He lowered his head, "I can finally serve him without hiding and my true allegiance can now be known."

He bowed down as the last of the light faded revealing a second person and Savage spoke respectfully, "My lord it is good to see you have returned. I am here to serve your needs and your purpose. I live and die by your will for you are the true power in this world and I shall only do what you wish of me as you claim what is yours." He heard footsteps approach and stop in front of him but Savage kept bowing, "I'm afraid the other two pieces have escaped while you displayed your power, the powers of light are trying to move against you however the cycle is broken so their options are limited. The old ways are forgotten and the people of this time have no knowledge of what came before and even the legends have disappeared into nothingness. The divine blood is spent and its power is all but gone. The time has finally come and there are few who could even hope to stop you as you claim the world that you desire."

Savage dared to look up into the face of evil and his true master.

Black, decorated armour covered a muscled, powerful body, a long fearsome trident was clutched in a gauntleted hand, a mane of fiery red hair tumbled down a broad back and ran around a strong chin. A large jewel decorated the forehead above a pair of dark eyes that showed the darkness within as a satisfied smile graced the lips showing his approval of his ever loyal servant.

Savage bowed his head once more as he greeted his master and the great evil that now had a full form in the world.

"Lord Gannondorf."

* * *

 _ **PS-Yes I did just do that. To those who have no idea what fandom this guy is from do not worry I will give enough info about that particular franchise during the course of my next story. If you'd rather research him yourself he's from the 'Legend of Zelda' games by Nintendo.**_

 _ **I'll post an epilogue in this story when I've published the first chapter of the next story to let people know as it will be in the crossover section not the HTTYD only section.**_

 _ ** _ **Please let me know what you thought and t**_ hank you for reading. I'll hopefully see you soon in the next story 'Family of Legend'.  
**_


	28. Epilogue

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and here is the epilogue and the announcement that the third and final story is now up. To find it simply go via my profile and it's called 'Family of Legend'. I hope you enjoy the epilogue.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Twilight cloaked the sea as the waves moved endlessly, its ethereal light glinted on the water as a single boat drifted across the ceaseless ocean. Its single occupant had their gaze fixed on the horizon their eyes fixed in a worried frown.

They'd sensed the building of evil and knew that it had finally fought its way into the world once more. Such a thing had happened time and again throughout the long course of history and always the evil had been beaten back but now things were different. The figures of legend were gone and would not be returning this time, the ancient arts had been long forgotten and the people had long since moved on from where they'd once been. Things could no longer play out as they'd once had and the future was uncertain.

The person sighed and turned their focus to sailing their vessel.

They'd spent many, many years searching for those who were worthy of learning what they had to teach them, that could master ancient ways and possibly turn back this darkness once again. Now their search was more vital than ever with Gannondorf once again walking earth, he needed to be matched and defeated before his power grew too much and the world was pulled into the shadow it cast. Those capable of possibly standing against him had to be found quickly.

After all, the Hero would not be appearing this time.

* * *

 _ **PS-See you in the next story and thank you for reading.**_


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